They normally say that choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life and the opposite is also true. This adage could be the reason many people choose a career in what they love rather than what they studied for very many years.
It is for the same reason you will find a lawyer becoming a journalist, a medical doctor doing business and a dentist becoming a visual artist, musician or DJ.
Very often, we study to become something professionally -be a lawyer, a medical doctor, a pilot, an engineer or any other profession deemed high paying and come with a title that makes parents proud but that is until we grow up and make other choices.
Think of a lawyer becoming a deejay or musician? That is the case for Pius Rukabuza, commonly known as DJ Pius. At university, he studied Information Technology and later pursued a degree in law, but the 1K Entertainment proprietor is comfortably pursuing a career in music and entertainment.
"I chose to follow my passion. I love the entertainment industry not just because I am talented in that field but also because it is where I am happy. The money is also there, but at this level we are still building for the future,” says Rukabuza, an entrepreneur and entertainer.
(L-R): Alyn Sano and Dj Pius. Photo: Courtesy.
It is a tough call to make because one would assume that though promising, the entertainment industry does not have a lot of money and is currently unstable due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That coupled with society and family pressure, it takes not only passion but also courage, creativity and extra patience to continue pursuing a career in a sector without enough money to make, requires extra hard work, yet you can easily put your academic qualifications to use and be assured of a regular income at the end of the month.
Alyn Sano’s experience
Alyn Sano has had a similar career journey, choosing to pursue her immense musical talent over what she studied in school.
The 26-year-old R&B singer studied hospitality management and leadership at Akilah Institute, now known as Davis College, graduating in 2017, after which she went straight into music and she has never looked back ever since she released her first professional song the subsequent year.
She says people wanted her to find a job- even where she did her internship, she was offered a job but her focus was on music.
"Many people want to hire me and I am like thank you but I don’t see myself doing another job at the present. I wouldn’t say that I really make good money or that I am enjoying so much presently but I know whatever I am doing will pay off and will pay off so much in the future,” the determined Sano says.
In her own words, she says she doesn’t think she wants another job, much as she might need it but that is not what she set out to do.
Sano is one of the most talented artistes and has been predicted to be a big artiste in the near future. She participated in the Voice Afrique music contest, reaching the semi-finals last month.
She is not alone in the category of people who abandon what they studied to pursue something else they are passionate about.
For Innocent Munyandinda, a taxi driver with a side business, the choice was to be in front of a blackboard with chalk in one of the least paid professions or go out to pursue a business dream.
With no capital but armed with a driving permit, Munyandinda was entrusted by a friend with a vehicle to drive as a Taxi, remitting a certain amount to him weekly and retaining the balance. He did that for 3 years and saved enough to buy his own vehicle.
"When I bought my own car, it was now easy to save up enough to set up a separate retail business for my wife in order to diversify our business. I wanted to continue with the taxi because it was a profitable business,” he says.
"Whatever we save, we are able to develop ourselves and take care of our children. I don’t think I would have achieved this as a teacher much as I would have wanted to put my skills to use,” Munyandinda adds.
Benefits
There are benefits to choosing your passion, putting aside what you studied in school. The number one and most obvious benefit is that you are doing what you love and you are content.
That is enough to make you happy. Following your desires is very important for your happiness and wellness.
The other benefit is that when you do something you love, you excel at it, meaning that you can achieve more and grow in status.
The more efficient you are with a certain skill, the higher the chances of being paid highly for it, hence the money factor. Isn’t money what we are all looking for?
Chances of career and personal growth are higher when you are doing what you love than doing something you don’t love just for the pay check.
Scientists say how much you enjoy your job primarily affects your mental health, as doing something you don’t like on the daily will eventually start to exhaust and adversely affect you. So basically, doing what you love adds some years to your life.
According to a recent study done in the UK, the time spent engaging in your passions contributes to lower stress and your happiness, boosts your ability to deliver and brings out the best of your creativity.
Last but not least, you earn the respect in society when you are the best at what you do. However, the opposite can also be true. It all depends on your life choices.