Before becoming a photographer, I worked for 20 years in another industry as a Project Manager. It was a very technical job, and even though it was easy for me to navigate that environment I never felt like I fully belonged. I was always interested in the creative aspects of my job and not on the technical side. And this feeling of not belonging was the cause of many frustrations during my twenties and my thirties. There wasn't a day in which I didn't think about following a different career path.
However, the older I got the more lost I felt and the harder it was for me to consider changing careers. When everyone around you sees you as a specific "title" or specific "job type", it is very difficult for others to even consider that you could explore becoming something else.
On top of that, the thought that all those years of your life that you spent building a career might go to waste, even if it was in the wrong industry, prevents you from moving forward with your career change.
Now that I'm in my mid-40's, I've finally understood what people meant when they said phrases like "it's not the destination, it's the journey" or "enjoy the process". The most important lesson that I've learnt is that every single experience that you have in your life stacks on top of each other and become part of the person who you are today. None of it goes to waste.
All those years taking photos of family and friends everywhere we went developed my eye as a photographer.
All the times that as a child I wrote "essays" for my parents or poetry for my friends at school developed the writer in me.
And all those years managing projects, even the days when I got back from work and cried on my couch out of frustration for feeling trapped in the wrong career, developed my skills and inform the way in which I manage my projects these days.
Every experience in your life is a learning opportunity. You might not see it today, but I can assure you that one day you will.
Photo credit: I can't remember who took this image, but it's me back in 2004 when I used to work in telecommunications.
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