Life and passion

Last week my niece came to see me, she will graduate in June with a degree in business but what she really wanted is to be a singer. She did not like business but her parents insisted that she enrolled in business because she could get a job with that degree. My niece likes music, movies and read a lot of magazines about famous actors and actress; she often talked about them as her idols. Singing is her passion, and she has a good voice.

But as I discussed about career with her, I explained to her about the reality of following her “special dream”: "You need to have a good job else you will have to depend on your parents to support you for a long time. Singing for fun is one thing; singing karaoke with friends is another thing, but singing as a professional is completely difference. Singing professionally is a very competitive business and you need more than just a good voice as you travel to nightclubs and theaters, you will have to deal with all types of people that you never encounter as young college students …etc.” During our discussion, she listened carefully to my advices but did not say much.

After she left, I thought about what I said for a long time: “Should my niece pursues her dream or give it up and do something else? It is very difficult to advice someone who has a strong passion for something, even it is a very risky one.” I also thought about students that have no passion about what they are pursuing. When I asked them: "What do you like to do with your career?" The answer was short and simple: "Computer programming." When I asked: "Why?" Again the answer was simple "Because I can get a good job." When I asked: "Can you enjoy programming all your life?" The answer was: "I do not know. It is just a job.” There is no passion in the way they talked as they have not figured out what they want to do with their life. Many students only think that education is about getting a degree; find a job with good salary, and life is that simple. Many do not want to think about anything further. Throughout my career, I have met many people like that; they go to work without any sense of purpose or passion in life but just repeat the same pattern, as long as they have a job.

I was fortunate because I had many teachers who helped me to set my career goals. They explained the entire picture about life ahead for young student like me, they gave advices about careers, jobs, duty, responsibilities, and instilled some passions that help me see much further that just getting a degree and a job. They explained about building a career that I could love, a career that every morning I would be happy to go to work. Most of my teachers were not making enough money but they all enjoyed teaching. One teacher said: “Many people are not fortunate enough to have a job which they are passionate about. Everyone wants a career but many are confused between happiness and salary. There are many who have a well-paid position but they are unhappy in their role but they cannot leave it because they are afraid of the unknown and they live in fear all of their life.”

One of my teachers was an executive of a big company but he left that job because he likes teaching. He said: “After a while, you will realize that money is not everything but a fulfilling career is more important. Only those brave enough would be able to find it as happiness is getting what you give not what you take.” When people asked me why I want to teach when I could make much more in the software industry with my experiences, I told them: “I owned a lot to previous generation who taught me and shared with me their wisdoms and their vision so I should do something better for the next generation. That is why I retired early and devote to education and advice students.”

Sources

  • Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University