Know what to do
A student wrote to me: "I like your advices in the blog but what if I do not know what I want to do?" Do you have any advice for someone who are still undecided like me?"
Answer: “You need time to answer the question of what do you want to do because you will spend a lot of time of your life doing it. Knowing what you want to do is a journey. It is possible that you may change directions few times because things will change, and you also change too. However, if you are serious about finding your “dream job” and willing to work hard to achieve it, then the reward could be great.
As student, you probably know what is important to you. It may be passing an exam, having a degree, getting a job, building your own family. It could be making money, building a positions in the society. There is no right or wrong answer but it is something that you want. Please think about this: You will not do well in a job that you hate. You will not be able to depend on your parents to support you for the rest of your life. You cannot floating from one thing to another, just like a leave in a flowing stream. You must make decision for yourself. You must make a goal for your life. You must live your life to the best of your ability. You may want to talk to someone who has an influence on you. You may need to talk to your parents who love you more than you know. You may want to read a good books about life. You cannot live without direction or passion. You must ask yourself: "What is most important to me about my career?"
You cannot determine your career direction if you do not know your long-term goals. By now, you have probably read about Steve Jobs’ speech to students at Stanford University: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Do not living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary … For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something … Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Jobs’ advices are very simple:
1. Do not waste your time.
2. Do not live your life for someone else. Live it for you.
3. Do not be afraid to fail. Sometimes you have to fail to succeed. Learn from your mistakes
4. Take risks. Discover. Experiment and Explore. Never stop reaching for what you want. Follow your passion.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
