I read business management at university. Since graduation, I've moved between jobs and worn quite a number of hats. But I've never actively pursued a business management role. What gives?
The article was originally written in Vietnamese by V and published on Vietcetera. It’s reposted here. The author has made some small changes in the English edition for style and naturalness. The text's original meaning is preserved.
When I worked as a TV host and editor, before each show I hosted, I would have a brief discussion with my guests. We would exchange pleasantries as we sat on the sofa, a few inches outside the studio. Somewhere mid-conversation, they’d ask whether I studied media & journalism at university, which would then be followed by a surprised look on their face as I told them how I got into the industry despite studying nothing of the sort. As a matter of fact, I read business management. Since leaving university, I’ve worn quite a few hats but never actively pursued a business management role.
Have I ever felt self-reproach? Sure. Have I ever felt lost? Definitely. But have I ever completely lost faith? Never. I’ve learned valuable lessons that if not for the times I’ve been lost and taken unusual turns, I wouldn’t have otherwise.
So what does that make me? In the early days following my graduation, that made me a business graduate who ‘học sai ngành, làm trái nghề’—the common terms in Vietnamese that means someone is educated in a field that is deemed ‘wrong’ for them and hence they move on to work in another field. Now, years after my graduation, people no longer care. But on the paths to where I am today, I got asked a lot about my choices. Have I ever blamed my parents for making me pick the course? Yes. Have I ever felt self-reproach? Sure. Have I ever felt lost? Definitely. But have I ever completely lost faith? Never. I’ve learned valuable lessons that if not for the times I’ve been lost and taken unusual turns, I wouldn’t have otherwise. Here are just a few of the things 'học sai ngành, làm trái nghề' has taught me.
Things you’ve learned at university do not all go to waste
You started university. Before long, you realised the course wasn't for you. You pressed on regardless. Now you've graduated and started a job search. You seek high and low yet you can't seem to find the right one for several reasons, which you figure the choice is to blame: what you studied is not in high demand in the job market, jobs matching your qualification don't suit you whilst what you think suits you constitutes a qualification mismatch. The search is daunting. You feel hopeless. But let's take a step back, think about what you have acquired or discovered—from academic knowledge to soft skills, even that singing or dancing talent that awed your classmates at a university ball—you may find out you have a knack for a certain thing that could make a career and figure out the skills that help you break into the sectors or job categories you’re after. Rowan Atkinson is famous around the world for his role as ‘Mr. Bean’. But not everyone knows he started performing sketches—his initial steps into writing and acting career whilst studying electrical engineering at Oxford University.
Don't think of your acquired skills or newfound talent as a way to sell yourself to potential employers in interviews. Don't do it for a ticket through the gate, do it for the journey behind that gate. Remember, even if you don't get to use them now, they might come in handy in the future. Thanks to studying business management, I could cover business news and host business talk shows. If I hadn't tried different things outside the business spectrum, I wouldn't have had the ‘ingredients’ to write this piece—years after my graduation.
Following passion isn't a must, it's a choice
You are doing a job you're passionate about. Great. If not, that's also fine. If everyone does only what they have a passion for, if everyone chooses to do only what they love, who would take the jobs no one wants or less sought-after? Division of labour exists for a reason. That's an aspect to the workings of society. That’s why every profession deserves respect.
It may happen that we confuse passion with the preconceived notion of it. And we fail to see what we're truly capable of. Not everyone is born with a passion—some would argue no one is. You don't need to have a passion before you start a job or pursue a career. I believe it can be developed afterwards. An interest in writing doesn't make you a novelist. A passion for English doesn't make you a teacher of the language. Only when you put yourself out there do you know if you hold an unrealistic view of your passion and only then will you be able to confirm where your abilities lie. As it transpires, you can't write a novel, but you make a great news editor; you find it hard to explain English grammar rules, but you shine as a translator. Only through action, errors and trials will you find the answer.
Even if you know what you are passionate about and intend to follow your passion, life may lead you to unexpected twists and turns. Vera Wang was once a figure skater, later an editor for Vogue before becoming one of the world’s icons in the fashion industry. As an athlete, she did not earn an entry to the US Olympic skating team, but as a fashion designer, in addition to her dazzling wedding dress collections, she designs top-notch costumes for Olympic skating athletes.
Knowing what you’d never compromise helps you see what suits you—or rather, what doesn't
We’re talking about ‘dealbreaker’: something that is important enough to you to prevent you from agreeing to something, buying something, etc., according to the Cambridge English Dictionary. You like this bag’s design. You love the brand. The bag is only available in brown. You hate brown. You decide not to buy it. The color is the dealbreaker.
A dealbreaker could be something that goes against the values you live by, contradicts the principles you’ll never break or is something you simply can't endure. In light of job searching, a dealbreaker could be a lousy wage or an unappealing working environment. Working on the weekends is a dealbreaker for you. Company A offers you a job with the salary and benefits you desire, but they require employees to work Saturdays. You decide to turn down the offer.
Knowing what the dealbreakers are for you helps you identify and choose the right job. Sure, your work is not all rainbows and unicorns—you are frustrated with the heavy traffic on the way to work; you are unhappy with boring lunches at the canteen. But you can live with them. They aren't dealbreakers. A dealbreaker must be something so crucial that you refuse to compromise. On many occasions, for one reason or another, we often give in. That’s when the brown bag is on sale with an 80% discount. That's when company A offers you a salary twice as much. In such cases, you should think long and hard whether it is indeed a dealbreaker, or you should be more determined to resist the temptation.
Closing words
Hindsight is 20/20. For those who haven't heard the expression before, it means it’s easy to judge whether something is good or bad, right or wrong after it has happened but before then, it's not simple. Instead of dwelling on the wrong choices we can't change, focus on the choices and changes we can make now and for the future. Develop strategies to find jobs from our values and experiences. Collect pieces of learning and experiences as we live and work. Like lego, small pieces can fit together to make a solid model. And we can build several models in different shapes and forms using pieces from the same set. You have more options than you think.
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