What do Lucille Ball, James Cameron, Bill Gates, and Tyra Banks all have in common? If you said they are extremely wealthy, you are right. But they also did not attend college or university. As a matter of fact, Lucille Ball was a high school dropout.
These are prime examples of people who shied away from the practical option and went with their instincts.
Many have come to believe that going to school will secure our future so we plan our lives by the common formula: high school + university + high paying job = happiness. As in many equations we learn in school, it has its exceptions.
Although proper schooling can provide financial security, it cannot guarantee happiness. Not everyone is meant to be a lawyer, molecular biologist, or doctor. Knowing this, many people still choose career paths they are not truly interested in. But we need entertainers and artists. We need cosmetologists and Perez Hiltons.
I am not saying we should give up on school altogether and aspire to be the next Snookie, but we should follow careers that make us happy, and sometimes they do not require a college degree. The best way to live life is to feel like every day is not strenuous work but pure passion.
Forgetting this, the would-be musician becomes a nine-to-five marketing employee stuck behind his cubicle drinking a cup of joe. The would-be artist becomes the bored student at the back of the economics class. The once charismatic would-be actress majors in engineering rather than pursuing her dreams. Eventually, these people will ask themselves “what has my life become?”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that on average, 18-to-35-year-olds have held at least 10 jobs. I am no expert, but it seems obvious many of these adults felt dissatisfied with their jobs at one point. We have to realize that the conventional lifestyle is not for everybody. Whereas some people will be perfectly happy and content in college, others will not.
We assume that not getting into the “brand” name schools is a disgrace. But sometimes, not applying or getting accepted into a certain school can be a blessing. You may have a talent or dream that does not require a standard four-year degree. Or you may have connections in a field you are much more passionate about.
Choosing career paths should not be about choosing the right jobs. If you truly love and care about what you do, it will not feel like a job.
Happiness does not come from knowing more than others or having more money than others. It comes from being satisfied and being able to look back at our lives when we are old and wrinkled, and not regretting any of our choices or wondering “What if?”.
