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You’re Not Saving Money…Calm The @#*% Down
We discussed this briefly at this weekend’s Dot Com Pho after we heard the news of a Walmart employee getting trampled to death and shootings breaking out over the Black Friday sales a couple days ago. Seriously, we all agreed that this was pure idiocy…not only for the tragic events that occurred but the [...]
Read MoreNothing Just Might Be The Best Thing You’ve Ever Done
I had a long post planned about tips for grad who are heading to college or university but I realized two things. One, I’ve had six hours of sleep in almost three days and writing War and Peace is probably not a good idea right now and two, if I wrote everything I wanted to get down on a page, it would probably be the length of a master thesis. With that in mind and in light of the torture that being in school has put me through recently, I thought I’d break it down to a simple suggestion. Maybe we’ll get to the rest another time.
While I may not be an expert in making money online or marketing, I do know a thing or two about having fun. In all seriousness, if we’re not having fun, then what the heck are we doing here.
A few years ago, I decided to quit my chemistry degree and pursue something else. I wasn’t bad at chem but I didn’t have any sort of passion for it. I couldn’t see myself working in that field ten years down the road. Of course, it would’ve almost certainly guaranteed that I graduate in four years rather than…almost six and counting but hey, if you don’t enjoy what you do, it’s just not worth it. That being said, when I decided that I wasn’t going to do chem, I really had no idea what I wanted to do so I decided to not go to school for a year and just…do nothing.
Doing nothing is something that I think everyone should experience for at least a year. Being Chinese, I live amongst all sorts of school keeners and Asian parents who think working is the only thing anyone should do for the rest of their lives but believe me, it is a truly zen experience to wake up to each day not knowing exactly what’s going to happen but whatever it is, it’ll be awesome. Not having to go to school or work on a regular basis allows you to do whatever you want and in that, you truly find out who you are and what you want to do with your life.
For me, I would wake up in the late morning, go outside, drive around, spend time at various cafes around town and walk around with a camera. It was really during that year that I really saw Vancouver. I mean, I had lived here for twenty years but never really saw all the great stuff that there was in this city. Have you ever lived an entire year of your adult life with absolutely no worries, no planning, just nothing? It’s really peaceful even if you live in a big city.
Especially for those of you just entering post-secondary education, take a year off and you’ll thank me later. You have plenty of time to work or study or whatever. Why not take a year just for yourself and find out what you really love in life?
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I totally agree with you in that one needs to do something that one enjoys, at school and at work!
ReplyAfter I graduated from UBC two years ago, I took three months off before really looking for a job. Those were an awesome three months.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that a lot of people simply cannot afford to take a year off and do nothing. If they’re in school, they may qualify for student loans. If they’re working, well, they’re earning a wage.
My ideal situation would be to retire, do nothing, and take occasional classes at the local university or college just to “keep learning.” Somehow I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
ReplyWhen I was in university, I met many people who were because their parents wanted them there or they were pursuing a field just for the money, i.e. computer science. I didn’t find many people who had a real passion for what they were studying.
I read somewhere that most university and college graduates aren’t working in fields they studied for 10 years after their degree/diploma. I suppose they realize that this isn’t what they wanted to do for the rest of their life.
Most people go through life not knowing what they want and not setting long term goals.
Replyhow very zen… but i wouldn’t say you were doing nothing. you said you “would wake up in the late morning, go outside, drive around, spend time at various cafes around town and walk around with a camera.” that doesn’t sound like “nothing”
it’s sounds very nice actually…
Reply[...] in college…recommending that students unsure about their post-college pursuit should take a year off to help you [...]
[...] Maybe I should take a page out of Stephen Fung’s book and take a break, or do like Ed Lau and do nothing. You know, so long as it doesn’t involve eating testicles like [...]