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It’s often said that the essence of your character lies in what you do when nobody else is looking. I’ve grown up thinking that, in order to be proud of myself, I needed to impress others and show what I was made of.
What I didn’t quite realize at the time was that, in the end, self-accomplishment and pride are the most satisfying feelings in the world. Regardless of your reputation or what others might think of your actions, if you believe in your convictions and the goals you set for yourself, you will be happy. Isn’t that what we all strive for?
It was the first time I realized that, even if you’re good at something, it doesn’t mean you should direct all your energy towards it.
I'm a francophone from a small Quebec village. After graduating from high school in 2015, I decided to go straight to the University of Ottawa for a bachelor's degree in finance. It was a risky move for me as I would end up skipping 1 to 2 years (the equivalent of Cégep on the Quebec side and 12th grade on the Ontario side) — but it all worked out in the end. I am now in my final year and just got offered a position working for the Federal government.
I worked as a student in the finance industry for the last 2 years. Although it was a great learning experience, I always felt like something was missing. I needed to broaden my skill set and to get my hand on different tasks.
After enrolling in the Young Professional Network of my department, I ended up giving a presentation to another group, where I introduced myself to the Chief and expressed interest in their auditing tasks. Next thing I know, I’m sitting in his office and accepting a casual position within their team. It was the first time I realized that, even if you’re good at something, it doesn’t mean you should direct all your energy towards it.
SPEAK OF A CAREER YOU LOVE
I always had a passion for linguistics and for entrepreneurship. In March 2017, I decided to put my skills to use and launched SarahSpeaking, a language tutoring business designed specifically for Public servants in Ottawa. A few months later, I was in contact with a contributor of the Forbes Women edition who then requested a short interview to present some inspiring women.
Within the interview, one of the questions that resonated with me the most was the following.
Question
Is it time to make the side hustle the main gig?
Response
The side-hustle turns into a career pivot when you start to enjoy it more than your current career. It should become a career path if doing it every day would make you happier overall. Everything is about passion, and life is too short to spend it doing something we’re just ‘good at’, rather than something that truly makes you feel whole.
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If I could give one piece of advice to anyone out there trying to accomplish great things: do what feels right. I believe everyone’s destined for greatness, perhaps you just don’t know what your path is yet. And that’s okay.
Notes:
1. Forbes. 2023. “ForbesWomen” Retrieved on March 30th, 2023. (https://www.forbes.com/forbeswomen/#f63b874621ee)
