I’ve always been interested in many things.
While this makes my life hard to box into one path, it also means I struggle to choose which direction to follow. Everything feels exciting, and the opportunity cost of letting go of one path for another often feels overwhelming.
This indecision affected me when it came to choosing a career path and for 10 years, I was conflicted on which direction my life should take.
I found myself pursuing civil engineering, a course I was barely interested in. It was easy to neglect my academics and focus instead on my passions.
After graduation, I wasn’t keen on pursuing engineering and so I threw everything away, moved to Nairobi to fend for myself through my passion for writing, despite my parents’ disapproval.
However, things didn’t turn out as well as I thought. I went out not knowing what it took to succeed as a freelance writer.
Though freelancing gave me freedom, I struggled to pay my bills, I couldn’t build a financial safety net and often felt discouraged watching my salaried friends make strides I couldn’t relate to.
After almost 5 years of avoiding my parents, trying to figure things out on my own and eventually failing, I opened up my mind.
“Maybe what my parents have to say is valuable,” I thought. “What’s the worst that could happen if I go back and ask for help?”
I walked back into my parents’ home and told them I needed help. They took me back with open arms. For a couple of weeks, we had long, winding conversations. I shared my side of the story, and they shared theirs. Eventually, we found common ground.
My mindset shifted.
I let go of my ego and opened my mind to new possibilities. I listened more and spoke less. I stopped trying to fix my life in the way I thought was best, and instead, I began to pay attention to the opportunities life was presenting to me. I became more present and intentional and I practiced gratitude. Slowly, things began to fall into place.
Today, I’m a practicing civil engineer in a meaningful role. I’ve managed to build some financial security through consistent saving. Most importantly, I now have the freedom to pursue my passions; writing, digital marketing, and public speaking.
I’ve realized that a lot of people, especially Gen Z, share a story similar to the first half of mine. We’re drawn to so many different interests that choosing a single career path feels almost impossible. What we want often looks nothing like what our parents had in mind for us.
Many find themselves in university courses they grow to hate and discard upon graduation, if they don’t drop out first. Others bounce between courses and even universities, switching lanes so often they never seem to find where they fit. Parents are frustrated. They don’t understand what their kids are after, and every attempt to help seems to go nowhere.
It’s becoming a serious problem. If we don’t figure out how to bridge this gap, we risk having an entire generation of young people feeling lost, disconnected from their families, and disillusioned with the whole idea of higher education.
I rode this roller-coaster with my parents for five years. There were times we couldn’t see eye to eye at all. I could go months without calling them. And while I felt bad about it, I also felt misunderstood. So I wasn’t ready to fix things.
But eventually, I had to face reality. Life wasn’t working out the way I had hoped. So I took a step back, opened my mind, and reached out for help. That’s when things started to change. And I believe that’s exactly what you need to do if you’re stuck in the same place.
I know what it feels like…
…when you can’t seem to settle into a career you actually care about because your parents, and by extension society, expect something different. I know how passionate you are about that thing, whether it’s art, music, content creation, or dancing. I know it’s what you want your life to be all about.
But there’s something you might not fully see yet, something your parents probably do. The world today is brutal. It’s crowded, competitive, and everyone’s scrambling for the few opportunities available. If your parents have access to an opportunity for you, you really can’t afford to waste it.
That doesn’t mean you should give up on your passions or your dream career. It means you hold on to them, but in the meantime, take what’s available and use it as a stepping stone.
If you’re not obsessed with your passion, if you can’t push through years of discomfort and financial struggle while building it up, you’re not in a position to rely on it as your main source of income.
That’s why you need a job.
Something that keeps you afloat. Something that gives you security and a long enough runway to pursue your passion without constantly stressing about survival.
There’s no need to find out the hard way that the world is tough. And there’s no need to try proving the world that you’re tough.
If you can get help, especially when it comes to landing a job early on, take it. Then, once you’ve built some security, you can start carving out a path toward what you truly love.