14. Try a different profession in a different field

In my early 20s I was in the hotel industry, as I had graduated NYU from the hospitality, tourism, and sports management program at Tisch Center. I was very unhappy that the practices in the hotel field did not reflect the theories I learned in class. At the young age of 21, I changed my profession to a completely different field. I had no knowledge in the field, but I decided to give it a try. Cuz WHY NOT? With an unexpected interview with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, I was hired and sent to an all-boys high school to be a 11th grade English teacher. Was it scary? Yes. Did I survive? Yes, more than survive, I thrived. I came to realize that year after year, I was getting better at my job. I found myself landing a foreign language high school job 3 years later, and then moving to another foreign language high school that paid more. And now look! I furthered my education in Education and forming a passion in the Education field. It was hard letting go of my hopes of going up the occupational ladder in the hotel field and becoming a hotel manager and ultimately a director in the F&B field, let alone 240k worth of tuitional investment to be a hotelier. But now that I look back- taking a leap of faith and trying a new profession was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.