Losing your Career
At some point of time, we all end up making career choices. Some by choice and others by chance and then there are others who forced into it a career. And a few years into a job, one’s career skills are kind of set and you fall into a pattern. You can do certain stuff and unless one makes a dramatic career change, the new job will also involve the use of the same skill set.
Most of our friends are engineers and their skills involve typically use of specialized software and analytical stuff. Our doctors friends use a totally different skill set. But whatever it is one just keeps learning more and updating about their skills, acquiring new skills on the way up the career ladder. At times an MBA or an advanced degree is added.
So what happens, one fine day R wakes up and forgets all about designing steel structures? Well it is highly unlikely to happen. Worst come he has to get back to his basics and it sure will flow back to him in seconds. After all that is one thing he has been trained to do and does it for bring home the daily bread.
But what will happen if a professional singer loses his voice? or a dancer loses a leg? It is their profession and for years that is what they are trained to do. What are their other options? What will I do if I realize I cannot be an environmental engineer any more?
This is a question that has been haunting me for the past few days. Professional artists of any artform, or sportspeople relay on their body to sustain themselves. What about them? What are their options? I am sure there are many such people around the world, what do they end up doing? Do they not feel bitter, angry at themselves and at the world? Do they ever keep abreast with their contemprories in their field or do they walk away from it forever? Do they miss it? Is it like a physcial ache, not being able to perform? What do they feel?
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