Choosing between financial security and following one's passion is never an easy decision to make because of the effects that such decisions will have on one's life. And that's not to forget that if you pick a job you don't like just because of the money, you might get the wealth you crave; however, you'll hardly be happy with what you do, and on the other hand, if you were to follow your passion over a well-paying job, not only will people ridicule you, but you yourself might spend years rethinking your decision and wondering if you did the right thing. But which should a person pick? In my opinion everyone has a right to their decision, and because what you picked worked well for you doesn't mean the same will be the case for others.
Thankfully though, I've once found myself in-between choosing between a well-paying job and following my passion, and that was about the time I graduated from the university. Around the time I was in search of a job to make ends meet, NYSC came calling, and I spoke with some people. At the time, a church member offered me a job as a sales boy in his shop, and even though the pay wasn't excellent, it was still far better than what other jobs were offering to pay me for, and so I jumped on board and started working for him, and to be honest, I was happy with that decision because of the prospect of getting better pay compared to other places.
However, the excitement didn't last for long because I then began to realize that even though the job was paying me well, the truth is that I don't like that kind of job, and with time I began to not just get bored of the job but also feel like I'm being held captive, and in the end, after trying to encourage myself to keep working because of the generous wages, I ultimately felt like I had had enough in my sixth month of working there, and these led to me writing my resignation letter and ultimately leaving the place, even though I had applied in other places while working there and saw that the job I'm passionate about isn't able to pay me what I'm getting presently. Still, I quit and went to work in a place I have a passion for and where doing the job I'm being paid for wouldn't be like a burden on my shoulder but would be like I'm having fun.
And that's how I left the initial job that was paying me well for another job that was paying me less, and to be honest, I had peace of mind when it came to my job delivery in the new place.
Looking back to, if I were to have a job that'll pay me handsomely in the present day, I'd definitely stick with it over doing the job I'm passionate about, and that's because I've come to see that the job I'm passionate about, which is teaching, is a profession that isn't valued or appropriate in my country, Nigeria. So rather than keep wasting my time following my passion and in the new I'd retire with nothing to show for my years of service, it's better I follow the money bag and use what I earn to flush out the boringness the other job Miguel has so that I can use that money to transform my life for good and give myself and my loved ones who depend on me a decently better life.
All photos are generated using ChatGpt.