When you have a job that pays you enough to cover your basic needs,
your bills, and even some more to spend,
the assumption is that you'd be happy,
or, even better, fulfilled.
And it seems unthinkable when you wake up and say
you're going to leave a job like that to pursue a passion.
And that was my dilemma six years ago.
I had a comfortable job, I lived a comfortable life,
and people expected me to be fulfilled,
but I wasn't.
There was something in me that wanted more.
There was a misalignment between the things I did on a daily basis
and the things that I deeply cared about.
And so I decided to quit
and explore the possibility of bringing this passion into my daily routine.
And the think about finding your passion
is that it's not straightforward.
Even for people and money and degrees,
they still struggle to identify their passion.
And here I was as a 30-year old talking about finding my passion
and turning it into a career.
Literally, people told me,
"You don't talk about passion until you've made enough money."
(Laughter)
"Or at least until you're ready to retire."
Because, there's a notion that looking inward
and finding the things that give us pleasure and fulfillment
is a luxury that only the rich can enjoy,
or a pleasure that only the retired can indulge in.
Which made me wonder:
is passion only for the rich
or an experience only the retired can enjoy?
For many of us, we've been led to believe
that life is a race for survival.
We've been conditioned to see ourselves as survivors that must do everything
in our power to survive.
In Africa, we had to go through school, cram and pass,
in the hope that you get a job after,
and if you do, stick at it no matter how much it sucks.
(Laughter)
Until you get a better offer or you're asked to retire.
And as a dropout,
I knew that I was not entitled to anything.
Every opportunity was a privilege.
And so when I thought about quitting,
it was a huge risk.
I was given two alternatives,
which are the most popular in Africa.
The first one is sign up for any course at a vocational institution and do it.
My second option, settle for any job offer you can get,
no matter the working conditions,
and do it.
That probably explains why we have so many of our young people
being trafficked in search of greener pastures.
I opted for the first option.
I did look at a couple vocational institutions
in the hope that I would find a course that resonated with my persona,
my dream, and my aspiration.
I was disappointed to learn that there was no room for misfits like me
in these institutions.
The education system in many parts of the world
has been designed around pre-selected options
that young people are expected to fit in or risk becoming misfits.
And so going through school I was nurtured and conditioned
to think in the straight line and stay within the straight line.
But when I dropped out, I discovered a world of possibilities.
I knew I could be anything, I could study anything,
so I leveraged free online courses.
That's how I built my CV, got into employment,
and worked for eight years.
And after eight years,
I told myself there must be more to life
than just going through the routines of life.
So in 2014 I started an organization called Kyusa