Do you practice what you were taught, (in school or by professionals), to keep a steady salary; or do you follow a favorite hobby/interest to maintain a personal income?
After finishing secondary school, I was expected to go to university and though I didn't object to that idea, my adoptive parent's assumption I would go to the local technical university, reduced my options to none that I could be passionate about. Since my adoptive father had wanted to study business, I ended up doing that for him. In the end I failed miserably and switched studies after four years. My first choice was English language and litererature and though I knew I wouldn't be able to finish my education, I made the switch anyway.
When I started working, I eventually found a job as a software engineer, a job I hated for years, but kept because I was pretty good at it. It paid well and like anyone in that sector I made a few promotions and ended up being an overly paid consultant. Still hating the work, I finally gave up and quit my work, to figure out what I really wanted to do. For about a year I did several odd jobs, until finally I got hired again as a software engineer. This time around though, it was no longer in the rat-race of corporate information technology, but as a nobody computer programmer for a small company. It's not all that bad, I have quite a lot of freedom, being allowed to work from home and most important, t pays the bills.
Last year, Kerry and I started this website and for the first time I feel I can use my qualities as a software engineer for something I am passionate about. That to me makes it all worthwhile. I just wished I could work on this website fulltime.
Comments
Work and passion
After finishing secondary school, I was expected to go to university and though I didn't object to that idea, my adoptive parent's assumption I would go to the local technical university, reduced my options to none that I could be passionate about. Since my adoptive father had wanted to study business, I ended up doing that for him. In the end I failed miserably and switched studies after four years. My first choice was English language and litererature and though I knew I wouldn't be able to finish my education, I made the switch anyway.
When I started working, I eventually found a job as a software engineer, a job I hated for years, but kept because I was pretty good at it. It paid well and like anyone in that sector I made a few promotions and ended up being an overly paid consultant. Still hating the work, I finally gave up and quit my work, to figure out what I really wanted to do. For about a year I did several odd jobs, until finally I got hired again as a software engineer. This time around though, it was no longer in the rat-race of corporate information technology, but as a nobody computer programmer for a small company. It's not all that bad, I have quite a lot of freedom, being allowed to work from home and most important, t pays the bills.
Last year, Kerry and I started this website and for the first time I feel I can use my qualities as a software engineer for something I am passionate about. That to me makes it all worthwhile. I just wished I could work on this website fulltime.