I chose to touch on this topic because I consider it to be one of the starting points, which help to chart the path to success. When I was 16 years old and I was about to finish school my father gave me guidance on the career I could pursue, at that time economics was in fashion (early 80s). To be honest, I was not very clear what it meant and even less if I could live from my profession. Times have changed, now there is a range of vocational tests, as well as professionals dedicated to guiding young people, giving them a more complete vision of the reality they will have to live. Despite everything, I decided to study economics.
Now that I am the father of two teenagers, one of the topics of conversation with other contemporary parents is: And does your son already know that he is going to study? What university are you going to? My son, for example, finishes school next year and it is still not clear which career to pursue. I have met few young people who speak with conviction about their future and what if I admire those who transmit that security that I did not have at that age. There are probably a thousand and one reasons that influence the decision a teenager must make.
Some want to be doctors because, as children, they always saw dad coming and going from home, with the white coat on his arm, others want to be lawyers, to defend how unfair life is. My other son, for example, is clear about what he wants to be, he likes to make video productions and from now on he helps me with my work, in the production of videos in the training workshops that I do…! Good for him!
I was talking recently with a lady on a return trip and she explained to me all the effort they had made, as a mother, to get her daughter to pursue a career in architecture, which as you know is expensive because of the materials it requires. The problem was that her daughter wanted to drop out of college, halfway there, to pursue fashion design at an institute. Times have changed and how much… In my time, entering the university was a very difficult challenge, which required thorough preparation, sleepless nights and constant struggle to overcome my own fears. Now there are new ways to enter the university, which begin with evaluations in the last year of studies and only require a personal interview and in many cases, it is enough to check the financial solvency of the parents, an essential requirement. I consider that the fact of having “facilitated” the entrance to the university, in the first place has taken away the pressure that the applicant had before and it has been transferred to the parents who have to “stretch” their budgets to meet the payments and obligations. Secondly, I was always taught that what is achieved with effort has more value. Therefore, before, if you chose the wrong career, you were obliged to keep going so as not to disappoint your parents' “pocket”.
Today the young people who enter and in the first cycle discover that they do not like what they study, they simply communicate it to the parents and that's it… it sounds something like: "Dad, I have realized that the career I chose takes a lot of mathematics… in that case I prefer lyrics ”or“ The university demands a lot from me and I don't have time to meet people… I want to change ”.
Another valid criterion for deciding what to study is knowing if the profession you have chosen will satisfy my needs, if I will have the dream home, travel, etc. that is, evaluating the return on investment. On the other hand is choosing to study a professional career because I like what I am going to do.
It is true that there must be a balance between profitability and a taste for what I do, personally at this point in the "party" I am convinced that one must choose not only what "fills your pocket", but what "fills your spirit ”that which gives you fullness. I am an economist, I repeat, but over the years I discovered my true vocation. I dedicate myself to training and consulting in HR, I enjoy when I carry out dynamics, I like to work with people, learn from them, help them realize that they can stop doing and that they can incorporate into their lives. I found that I can help by writing about topics that seem so simple, like this article, but sometimes fill us with anxiety and concern. I worked in a newspaper many years ago,I could not find an explanation at the time… time gave me the answer.
I can only tell you that what you decide to do, do it with love, enjoy it, feel the adrenaline when you are faced with a challenge, do not see problems, see opportunities to grow. If they chose the wrong career it does not matter, everything they learned serves to find the way to success, and I am not talking about making money, we already know that it is only a means that can help but can also complicate the lives of many. Before worrying about the outside world, look inside yourselves, take the time to know what you like, assess your strengths, analyze your actions in context, define a vision that motivates you, design your life plan, inform yourself about the economic and social news in which they live, so they can make better decisions. Perhaps I explain it better with this excerpt from Antonio Machado's poem: “Walker, your footprints, the path, nothing else; Walker, there is no path, the path is made by walking".
Until next time!
