Doctor Or Carpenter?

(Although this was written as a stand-alone article, it makes a perfect follow up to yesterday’s item.) If you had to choose a future career, which would you choose, Doctor or Carpenter and Why? Was reading g in the Herald Sun Newspaper on the 7^th of Feb; of a young man who was studying Medicine at University many years ago that got a holiday job at a woodwork factory during a summer break from his studies. He discovered that he was very good with wood and loved working with wood, so he left of his medical studies and took a job at joinery as a woodcutter.

Not satisfied with that he bought his own lathe for home. It has been a long slog for him, but he learnt all he could along the way. In his 20’s he learnt from older experts in the trade saying, “That’s been the history of my working life – learning from the old guys, I could see that it was a dying trade and I tried to pick up as much as I could from them.” Now some 3 decades later he has his own award winning furniture business employing 13 people.

So which would you have chosen? A career in Medicine was a big thing in those days while Carpenters and joiners were quite common. Whilst I admit things have changed a little these days and both are in High demand, it was still a big and courageous thing he did, but he followed his heart and has never regretted it at.

What about you? Are you currently following your heart or have you gone after the fame and fortune and not the personal content that comes from following your dream. Of course it helps if you know what your dream is, doesn’t it? This guy took a summer job doing something totally different to what he was used to and found he loved it. What about you? Are you too prepared to step outside of your familiarity zone and try something different? It might take a few “ some things different” before you do find the thing you like, but are you really looking, or just stuck in a rut? Complaining but doing nothing to get out of it? What say you?