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Opinion

Passion before profits

By John Gathright


お金よりも、夢中になれることを

就職活動をしている学生を多く見かける季節。ある日、筆者が東京行きの新幹線を待っていたとき隣に座ったのも、就職活動中の学生でした。彼は落ち込んでいるようでしたが…。

A new wave of students have just hit the streets looking for jobs. Last month I had the opportunity to talk in depth with a young man who was having a hard time landing a job. He was depressed about Japan's high unemployment and dim prospects of economic recovery.

Chance plunked the young man into the seat next to me. He too was waiting for a shinkansen to Tokyo. I noticed his interest in the English article that I was reading and felt his excitement as he saw the pictures of people climbing giant sequoias in the Smithsonian Magazine.

He was blown away when he later learned that Tree Climbing Japan and our activities were part of the feature.

"You started a tree climbing school, and travel the world helping physically challenged people climb giant trees!? What a cool job! You can make a good living doing that!?"

"It is a great living, climbing trees, helping people fulfill their dreams. I really enjoy it and so does my family. I also meet some wonderful people in the forests," I replied.

"No, I meant, do you make a lot of money doing something like that?" he asked.

"To be honest, tree climbing itself does not make money, but tree climbing with passion and professionalism has opened the doors to some very financially rewarding opportunities," I said.

Young, handsome, trilingual, well-traveled and living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the young man was a breathing package of potential but he didn't realize it. I was surprised at his pessimism.

He was not sure what he wanted to be, but he knew that he wanted it to pay well. He also expected to find a company that would pay him a good salary from the start. And then, for some reason, he was surprised that he was not having any luck.

Students, let's talk about priorities. If money is your No.1 priority, then the present job market is full of despair and dead ends. It surprised me that a young man in his early 20s felt he needed lots of money and feared being poor.

The world is full of opportunities for those with purpose and passion. Last year, I met a lady who had a passion for helping animals. She graduated from dental school into a saturated market. So she decided to use her skills to help zoo animals. What she started out doing for free has become a wonderful career and she makes a great living as well.

When I first graduated from university, I was excited, because I was free to be purposely poor. With no loans, no one to provide for but myself, I had a real feeling of adventure.

My advice to students entering the real world is this: While you are young and don't have any dependents, follow your passions. Decide who and what type of person you want to be and how you can be that person. Follow your passions and be willing to be purposely poor as you invest in your future.

Even if there doesn't seem to be many jobs, I promise that there are thousands of opportunities to create unique and interesting careers. Take it from a guy who lives in a miso-barrel tree house, grows furniture and travels the world helping people climb trees.


Shukan ST: April 5, 2002

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