Two Types of People

For most people, their first salaried job wasn’t something they wanted to do for a living. That was certainly the case for me.

From starting out as a cashier for a supermarket chain, and now to working in software, it taught me that I tend to see two types of people when it comes to careers, and probably life:

1. Someone who learns to tolerate and love the work they’re doing.
2. Someone who only loves work that feels innate to them.

“There is only one way and that is your way.” C.G. Jung

The Winding Road

Right out of secondary school, I begrudgingly had to work as a cashier to support my family. It paid minimum wage, but at least it had overtime. My bank account went from just existing to being an important part of my life. I was adulting.

A few months after, I found another job. This time with slightly higher pay, more responsibilities, and a lot more processes.

“Maybe this is not so bad after all,” I told myself. If I kept working, switched jobs, or aimed for seniority while also keeping my spending habits under control, I could live a decent life. But I knew deep down the work I was doing wasn’t important. I felt like I was missing out. I could be doing so much more than scanning groceries and counting cash.

I started to feel unhappy about the work I was doing.

I switched to different jobs and different industries. It all felt the same to me. It didn’t help that I didn’t have the opportunity to pursue tertiary education, since money was tight when you’re raised by a single mom. It felt like I was wasting my life away.

But throughout these years in my life, I noticed that some people still managed to put a smile on their faces and were willing to see it through. I envied them. Maybe the source of unhappiness was just me. “If they’re able to enjoy and love their work, why can’t I?” That was what I set out to do: how do I learn to love or find enjoyment no matter the type of work I’m doing?

I did that for about five years before realizing I was not that person at all.

Then I started working with software. I felt so much more content with the work I was doing. It felt cerebral. I taught myself to get into this field and wished I had done it sooner. The work feels like play to me.

I started to feel happy about the work I was doing.

Back in secondary school, I had a profound interest in mathematics. There was a point where I rediscovered π. Turns out the math I was learning beyond my school curriculum laid a foundation for how I approach problem-solving, and I’ve been using this part of my brain ever since I became a software engineer.

I realized I’m the second type of person.

But the journey that led me to this conclusion was quite painful. I felt lost throughout that period. I considered going back to school, but how do I go through three to four years of study knowing that’s half of the household income gone? I was shaped by my circumstances, but staying still would have meant letting those circumstances decide the rest of my life. So I took action and took risks. In the end, I’m grateful that the outcome was in my favor.

The Compass

I’ve come to the realization that it doesn’t matter whether you classify yourself as one of the two types of people I described above. Everyone’s path is different and there are no right answers. What matters is whether you have faith in yourself or not. And if you tune your compass to this fact, you will save yourself a lot of time experimenting or veering off onto roads that you think might work simply because they are different.

I wish I had trusted that earlier. Not because belief guarantees the outcome, but because without it, I would have kept mistaking survival for direction.