The Reason Why I Decided Not To Get A Full Time Job After I Graduate

“What do I wanna do in the future?”

This is the question you constantly ask yourself when you are studying at university. For a long time, I didn’t have any answer for it, and I wasn’t sure at all what my future is gonna be like. Now I found what I really want to do with my life, which no one has ever expected me to do.

Studying abroad in Thailand and meeting a lot of people who came from all over the world have changed the value of my life completely. I’ve met so many people who have different visions of their lives in the future; some people want to travel around the world, and other people want to create their own companies. Before I met those people, I didn’t have any doubt that I will get a job at a national-famous, and well-paid company after I graduate, like everyone else around me will, hoping to be rich and living a fulfilled life in the future. However when I thought about it after I came back from Thailand, I was like, “ Is this really what I wanna do?” I started having a doubt.

One day, I made a discovery. I don’t remember how I found it but I encountered one website called “One Step 4 Ward”, which is a travel blog by an Irish guy. He travels around the world, writes about it on his blog, and earns some money from it. At the moment I thought, “This is exactly what I wanna do in the future!” You do what you wanna do with your life and get paid for it. It shocked me so hard. It opened my mind. I didn’t even realize it existed. I finally realized what I value in my life.

I love traveling. Whenever I have free time I open my planner, go to the Skyscanner website and search flights, seeking for any possible ways that I can go somewhere outside the country. I go to Google Image and browse all the beautiful pictures of the countries I want to visit. I never get bored with searching, and I normally spend hours and hours in front of my laptop imagining myself somewhere in this world. I also like writing in English, although my vocabulary and grammar are not enough at all to express what I really want to say. (I’m still working on it.)

I started searching what you need to do in order to earn money from travel blog, and I learned I have to work so hard until I achieve the point where I start making actual profits. I need to at least work for three years for free. I took some time and elaborated it, risks and stuff. But at the end I decided I want to at least try, even if it seems impossible. Maybe I will be broke and need to get a job to pay off my expenses. I don’t care, I can think about it when it happens. Because I finally found something I want to pursue for the first time in my life. You only live once. I’m just gonna do whatever I wanna do with my life.

I finally decided that I’m going to be a travel blogger, but I had to face the reality. The social trend in Japan stood in my way. Because it is too common to get a job right after graduate and it’s ridiculous to even have a doubt about it, I have to explain my dream to so many people who assume that I will get a job, to make them really understand what I wanna do in the future. Sorry mom and dad, I can’t live a life like the way you imagined. I’m such a spoiled child.

Another reason why I don’t wanna get a full time job is because of the recruiting culture in Japan. The job-hunting season has come, and junior students in university all suit up in black, wear ponytails, and have black bags full of documents; aka “recruit style”. They are always stressed about getting a job. Doing some thorough research of the companies they want to apply, studying for the paper test, practicing the job interview, taking TOEIC test for the resume, and so many other things they do in order to get a job they want, as if it was the life time chance to have a successful life.

When I saw those people and heard them complaining about it, I thought, “This is not what I want to do. Why do I need to do something so stressful that some people even harm their health? Because everyone else does? Because of the money and fame?” It was just not for me. I just couldn’t imagine myself doing it. Sorry my Japanese friends, I will go my own way.

Maybe you think I’m just a dreamer. Maybe some people say it’s impossible. But you know what? I’m used to it, because I was born in the depression period where people say, “Let’s be realistic, that’s not going to happen.” You never know until you actually try. Maybe someday I will find a job that I really like to do and start working full time. Maybe, maybe not. But for now, I know nothing about this whole world, so I need to explore it. I will keep you updated how it goes!