2 questions to uncover your passion -- and turn it into a career

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 than life than just going through the routines of life. So in 2014 I started an organization called Kyusa