date: 2013/11/27
time: 03:22 PM CET
tags: opinion
featured_image: /blog/featured-images/james-chateau.jpg
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Okay, officially I was a grey badge or a contractor but working at Apple was nice. I mean, very, very nice. The campus is beautiful, I worked on top of the line hardware, I had an office with a view for a while. They even have Starbucks machines. If you have never used one, I can't begin to tell you how wonderful they are.
Well, all good things come to an end. I had a serious dilemma. I had an opportunity to move to Paris.
SPLIT_SUMMARY_BEFORE_THIS
It wasn't a glamourous all expenses paid rendition as you might see in the movies. With some tycoon hiring me and whisking my family and I off to Paris by private plane or any of that nonsense. It was more of the slow, planning, preparing and hard working to take advantage of an opportunity that landed me in one of the most culturally rich cites in the world.
So some people think I am crazy, irresponsible even. Some people think I am lucky. As if the scene described was granted to me by some genie or something. If you ask me, I am both lucky and hard working.
If you find yourself being placed between the two worlds of the responsible adult and of uncertain adventure I urge you to take the latter. Here's why:
There is really no certainty in life and there are no guarantees. We live in a world with next to zero job security and with our health (at least in the US) can be hanging on by just as thin of a thread. Jobs will come and go but opportunities, especially those of the exciting and adventurous type tend not to reappear. Seize the moment, even if it appears that it may not be a rational choice.
Living abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. Before 2007, I had never traveled outside of the US (with the exception of Canada and Mexico). But since I have spent 9 months total in France, 3 months in Armenia, 1 month in the Republic of Georgia, 3 weeks in Turkey and have also traveled to the UK and Belgium. I have learned to speak basic things in three languages and have experienced amazing things that have altered my perspective on life in profound ways.
I snuck out of a village to avoid having three goats slaughtered in my honor only to witness a sheep meet its demise at a church the next week. I got kicked off a train at gun point, bought a visa at a control point for cars and raced through the mountains and ran through a dark train yard to reboard it 74km later. I have traveled to the castles of kings and through sewers of Paris and many other strange and beautiful things.
This all started from taking some risk.
Risk in doing something where I believed that I might fail.
I applied to a study abroad program run by professor John Clapp. He told me, "You won't get in, but you are welcome to apply."
I thought it was a lost cause, mostly from the fact of having zero money. My father encouraged me, "Just apply. If you get in, everything else will fall into place."
Well, I applied, got in and somehow managed to scrape together the money to pay for it. I don't mean to say that it was not supported by hard work, desperation sometimes manifesting as depression at times, but it was making that decision to apply and taking a chance that started everything.
So just go for it. Take a risk. Even if you fail, you will have at least pursued your passion, even if for a small moment. And that, can be a life altering thing.
Have you ever taken a risk when people thought you were crazy or irresponsible? Are you facing such a decision today? If so, I would love to hear from you in the comments.
