Career Suicide

Introduction

We were born to live in desperate times - where it seems the death of dreams is the end of life. Failure is not the end of the world, that’s just what they make you believe. Because if you’re too fearful to try, you stay comfortable, you stay in line, and you keep doing the same meaningless work for all-time. There’s more to life than success and money, and to achieve that and get to where you want to be - you have to leave the old behind, you need to die to be born anew and a career suicide is not real suicide - it’s not the end of the world.

Though not a decision to be made hastily it can be of great importance to your physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing, and it’s not as uncommon as you might think. I heard a long time ago that most things in our lives follow 7-year cycles, this goes for our jobs, relationships and much more. While not universally true it seems to be statistically quite common; depending on what school system you’ve been raised in your education could have followed this rhythm. 1-6th grade is your primary education, followed by an upper education in grades 7-13. Where every 7th year you begin something new. Looking at your life through this lens you come out of early childhood by 7, you break into puberty and early adolescence by 14 and finally into early adulthood around 21, and so it goes on. As stated, these 7-year cycles aren’t objectively true, but speaking from my own experience, I can tell you that after 7 years a lot of people make drastic changes in their life and their job is one of them. I haven’t had a job I have held for 7 years and this is becoming more and more statistically likely for people my generation and younger. However, I do know quite a few people who have had the same job for about 7 years and then completely changed careers. People these days are working a lot more varied jobs than previous generations. A lot of my friends have had more different kinds of jobs than my parents have had their entire lifetime. This is a reflection of the time and world we live in. Some people don’t value a career as much as others have, and for others doing the same job for your entire life isn’t viable anymore for a career. Wages have been stagnating and the cost of living has kept on rising, and one of the few competitive advantages an employee can do is to apply to different jobs while already employed, to drive up the wage they would work under. It’s becoming more and more uncommon to be paid extra for your expertise and degree, and when I’ve worked under governmental institutions I have entered on a higher salary as a new recruit than some people who have worked there for most of their lives. Loyalty isn’t rewarded within most corporations. 

Most post-graduates end up working in fields completely unrelated to their degree and having spent the last years of their lives working towards one specific goal a lot of them find themselves lost and confused, and a lot of them end up making a career suicide because a lot of them will never go back to working with what they’ve studied so hard for. If you choose a degree for money you’ll lose your will to live, and if you choose a degree for passion you’ll end up unemployed because that field isn’t hiring. In the best-case scenario, you become a university professor in the same field and continue the cycle of feeding dreams to young people, one of them who will eventually take your place. That is if academia and the university haven’t’ destroyed your passion for the subject. Go ahead and study because it will teach you a lot about yourself, and sometimes it’s what you need to get the courage to commit career suicide. I know some people who have and they’re happier for it.

I know of a man who is a really intelligent civil engineer but who has completely changed fields because there are more things to life than making money and making his parents proud. I know a woman who has studied highly advanced physics and went on to study rocket science - only to completely abandon her degree and become a kindergarten teacher. She loves kids and for her, they are more important than getting into space. There are thousands more like these people who have taken a complete 180 and taken worse-paying jobs and jobs with lower social status because of what is really important to them. Some famous Michelin-starred chefs have completely left the glory and glamour of fine dining to work in school cafeterias. These are people who have achieved what they thought they wanted - by their own definitions they have been successful, they have proven their worth, their intelligence and their capacity. Yet having achieved this, they have then realised that it wasn’t all they thought it out to be - and then amidst that crisis they committed career suicide and completely changed the course of their professional lives. I think today most of them are happier for it because they’re now doing something they love, something they feel is important to the world and they have embraced their expendability and instead used it to do something good. Our presence here is limited and we have no time to waste. 

The Expendability of Human Life

You may think what you do is incredibly important, but the truth is that if you left or disappeared, it wouldn’t be long before someone took your place. As depressing of a thought as this may be it rings true for almost all aspects of your life, and none truer than when it comes to your professional life. We are all expendable and we can be replaced. They have supplies of infinite lives and no time to waste, and with the billions of people alive there will always be somebody out there willing to do what you’re not willing to do. This is how humans get away with treating each other so poorly, this is why managers, employers and all kinds of higher-ups get away with disregarding the mental and physical well-being of their staff. Of course, not everyone in charge is like this, but without a doubt, the largest majority of them are like this - because they’re all too human. They are driven by self-preservation, tight deadlines and a constant need to perform well, either for the business itself or their own higher-ups.

Ultimately they know they are just as expendable, which has always been the case. You will always have people standing on the side with a whip ready because they know they are replaceable and if they’re not the one to drive others through brute force they will be on the receiving end. The person who profits the most from a business is the one who has the biggest incentive to work and make sure that a business operates well, this is because money is the incentive in most cases when it comes to work. Money is the incentive and the reason to work at all is money - as it’s then used to fulfil all other needs. If money is the motivator, then the person the most motivated in any given transaction is the person earning the most money - lacking in empathy or simply perhaps in understanding - they expect people who earn less to work with the same motivation and drive. They expect you to put your job before anything else in your life because it’s what they do - they’ve neglected themselves, their families and their lives, they expect you to do the same despite you having less motivation, because at the end they earn more than you ever will do working for the same company. This is why they can push you to work overtime, to do tasks beyond your contract and why they expect you to do it without as much as a thank you; and certainly to do it without asking for extra pay. After all - they do it, they spend most of their day and they spend several hours extra on the daily, but see - they get a bigger reward for it, but if your sole reward and motivation for doing a given job is money then you’re not going to want to waste your time and life without being compensated fairly, unless you live in fear of course.

Being aware of your expendability makes you live in the fear that if you do not overperform and do well at your work you can be replaced, and that potentially means not earning enough money to sustain yourself or your family. Ultimately money isn’t going to make you happy and having it as your only motivation for a job isn’t going to be sustainable, not for your psyche, your body or your soul. You need more than that, and you will eventually come to realise that but it’s not an easy thing to come to terms with, because our modern world seems to revolve around money and even trying to escape the hamster wheel seems to require large amounts of cash. The truth is that a lot of people can’t afford a career suicide, because getting rid of a reliable income can be the difference between real life and death. People with young children and others with more responsibility than just themselves can’t always make that decision to just give up on a job and to pursue their dreams. It would be naive of us to say that that’s the case and that if you only have the courage or believe in yourself enough then you will be fine. I have immense respect for people who despite their jobs continue to sacrifice their time and health for the people they love. Going to work every day for 9-10 hours for a small amount of money just to provide for your family is something very honourable and something completely selfless. However there is more to life than money, and you don’t need to be rich to be happy or content. There are fulfilling jobs that have more of an incentive behind them than simply monetary transactions. A career suicide isn’t the right choice for everyone and that’s why it’s important to plan and prepare.

Take Your Time, Do it Right

There are a few factors to take into account and while a career suicide isn’t real suicide, it can have some serious consequences, consequences best prepared for. You have to do it on your own terms and not on anyone else's, because if you do it on your terms you are motivated to pursue what comes next, if you’re forced into it out of desperation you will find yourself struggling more. If you’ve spent most of your time working in your current field or studied for many years for a degree and you now want to change paths then prepare for it. Do your research, diligently do your studies and take the time to reflect. What do you want to do? How would you go about doing it? What do you need to survive and what can help you? Take your time and do it right, do not rush into the next decision. Say you want to change into a career more related to your passion - do your research and find out what you need to do to make a living from it and be realistic about it. Everything takes sacrifices and hard work, and even if you love something there’s still a lot of work and less fun aspects you’re going to have to deal with. If you love art you’ll soon find out that there’s a lot to making a living from art that you might not love. Talk to people who have changed careers or to people who work with something you think you’d like to work with - listen to their experiences and what the pros and cons are, and don’t be afraid to try new things. But be prepared to suffer.

Suffering is inevitable, even pursuing your dreams you’re not going to be rid of it. Embrace it and carry your cross - if you know what you’re working towards it will be an easier burden to carry. Realise that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that it can take an incredibly long time to get to where you want, and be ready to face the reality that perhaps you never make it there. Before heading out on this journey make sure you bring the right supplies. If you intend to start a business save up some money, if you intend to start new studies apply and and prepare for those exams. Whatever it is you want to change to make sure to take the appropriate steps, exactly what those steps are will vary and doing your research and prep will help you be ready for it. It’s never too late to change and it’s never to late to become a student again. Life isn’t static and it can take a long time to figure out what you want to do, don’t be afraid to try new things and don’t be afraid to leave the old behind. You might feel like you’re leaving behind security, comfort and your time spent but this isn’t true, you will find comfort, and you will build yourself a new life, a new home which is more comfortable and secure than your last. Just dare to take the step and you will be happier for it. Don’t be afraid to start over, because it’s a blessing to be able to do that. The mistakes you’ve made are nullified and rendered void when you’re able to start anew. This will make a difference for you and perhaps this is your only way forward, it’s your only way towards your own truth. In most cases, your old job will be there waiting for you, and if not there are plenty of other opportunities to make money. You will regret more having not taken the chance than you ever will not have committed to your truth. You are free to continue living a lie where you’re wasting your time, your talents and your energy or you can dare to uproot yourself and migrate to new fertile soil where you will flourish and grow to reach your highest potential and do your highest good. When you serve the highest good, you serve your soul and your truth and you will see new meaning to life.

The End of the World?

Career suicide is not the end of the world and the death of dreams is not worse than physical death. As long as you’re breathing and still here you have the time and the chance to change. Change your life, your career and almost anything about your circumstances. Life isn’t static, it’s in constant movement and death feeds life, it’s a cycle and to feed your dreams you have to let other parts of you die - kill that which doesn’t serve you and let it compost and nourish your soul. Let your passions and truth feed on the lies of the past, on your insecurities and preconceived notions. Liberate yourself from the masters of this world and serve something higher; not the lowly nature of your reptile brain. Seek a higher calling and embrace Truth - be honest and true to yourself, do what you have to do but for no longer than necessary. Plot and scheme to lay claim to what is truthfully and honourably yours - your life. Take control and be the captain of this ethereal ship through space and time, fear no tide and fear no storm - you shall endure it all and you shall triumph. Listen to your innermost being and find out what is really important to you - because serving that you serve the greater good and serving that will bring true meaning to your life. Take a leap of faith and you will find a feather bed at the bottom of the abyss - nature rewards courage.

Most people let it go too far before they commit a career suicide they only turn to it as a final solution or out of pure desperation. They’ve burnt out from their old jobs or they’ve hit a wall running. You keep going until you no longer can keep going - take my advice, and commit to leaving that job behind before you’re forced to. Go figure it out and pursue what you love, you won’t regret it, and perhaps you won’t get to work your entire life doing what you love, but you will have tried and you will grow immensely because of it. Career suicide is not real suicide, and unlike the real stuff - you do get second chances. It’s all right, and it’s perfectly fine to stop climbing whatever corporate ladder you’ve been holding onto for the last few years, it’s okay to get down that ladder and go climb a tree instead. Do what you love and pursue it unapologetically. Commit career suicide, and change your work before it drives you into a dark place, do something good for the world and you will feel better. Money isn’t the sole motivator in life and it’s not even a means to any end. Don’t be afraid to change jobs or careers and don’t be afraid to change. It’s never too late.