Are you afraid of switching to a new career path?

The rules of life are not written on stone. This life is ours to enjoy.

Leaving the known for the unknown.

Hello friends, welcome to another newsletter. Today we will be talking about something most people deal with but lack the courage/opportunity to talk about; the guilt and fear that comes with leaving the course you studied in school for an unconventional career path.

I recently watched a movie about the inventor of the Lamborghini. His name is Ferracio Lamborghini, he is Italian and came from a family background of farmers. During the war, he was drafted into the mechanic section and this is where he developed his love for cars. He came back home and told his father about his desire to go into automobile manufacturing, partly to help farmers have access to cheaper tractors and partly to ensure that the name Lamborghini lives forever, his father thought he was mad (I don’t blame him) but still supported him.

Now, not all of us are as lucky as FL to have a father who was willing to mortgage his farmland ( his only source of livelihood) to fund his son’s crazy dreams, and so we feel a certain degree of fear and guilt when we have to pursue other career paths for whatever reason we have. I am here to tell you that you are not alone.

I have been there. Suspending nursing to pursue a career in writing is a joke but not funny. I often think about the countless nights I spent preparing for exams but hey I am excited to see where this writing takes me. I often get asked why I haven’t japa’d because people think it is very easy to up and leave the country. Now, you might have been mocked for leaving a presumed high-paying society job for the career path you are chasing now, but don’t feel bad.

Do this instead:

1. Go all in: Now everyone knows you are no longer interested in your law, medicine, engineering, or nursing degree, don’t be shy to put in the work. What’s the worse that could happen? You will win! Do you know why? we ain’t leaving room for defeat this year because we left defeat with little miss corona last year. When Ferrucio’s father asked him “What if it doesn’t work?” he replied, “We will make it work” throughout his life, he never believed in the word ‘impossible’. So don’t.

2. Connect, connect, connect: If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far, go with people. Connect with people. No one tells you this but surrounding yourself with like-minded people can bootstrap your career. People that want to see you win, nah, that shi is rare, if you find them, keep’em. Go on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc, people are everywhere, all you have to do is connect but use discernment though. Ferrucio surrounded himself with like-minded people; people who wanted to shake the norms of the world by building what no man has ever built. And they did.

3. Pray: Prayer is still the key so don’t stop praying. Get on your knees and tell God he is the only one you have because he is. I don’t know how people get wealthy without God and I am not interested. Pray!

4. Give it time: This is the hardest part. You want to see results fast but that’s not how it works. Give it time, it might take longer than expected but give it time. From my estimate, it took Ferrucio about 10 years to go from a tractor manufacturer to a luxury car producer. Patience my friend, patience.

5. Enjoy the ride: It’s hard to consciously enjoy the ride. The times you had to stay up late to fix a bug or understand a project. The backaches, money spent on fuel, etc. Enjoy it, they won’t be here for long. Better days are coming but with their own problems. So enjoy this one and start gaining enough stamina for better days. Ferrucio still went out with friends, danced at parties, and enjoyed his life as a youth. He didn’t let his reality stop him from having a quality life.

This is really a letter to myself and I hope it lifted your spirit as it did mine. Remember, if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go with people.

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This newsletter is dedicated to Zainab Balogun and Godswill Ukpong, you guys are amazing. Thank you for all the help and inspiration.