Cloud 002 : Career is not a wealth

I once asked my wife this question "Do you think a career is a wealth?" She answered "No, career is not a wealth". We then elaborate the reason which defines a career is not a wealth, even though everyone in this world work through extreme hardship to achieve a successful career including myself.

Most of us finish our studies in college and graduated to be employ in a company of our field of interest, then we work our ways up the level in years time to achieve higher career success, mainly in salary increament and climbing management hierachy. Some might take a few years, most would find it tough to reach there until decades of experience. This is would be an inspiring journey which clearly define a person destiny in this world, a person success is clearly define also by his career success. But is career a wealth? I doubt so, after a deeper elaboration of the topic.

Firstly, career is not a wealth in terms that it can't be past down , mainly to the next generation. When you demise, so does your career follows to the grave. When you fall fataly ill and unable to work, so does your career as company you work so hard for can dismiss you with lawfully application. When you get retrench in econonmy hard times, your impressive career can't generate income for your living at the moment your paycheck stops. And lastly, you can't sell off your career for quick cash unlike your other assets such as properties and investments.

From the mentioned above, we can't any reason why career should be a wealth. Although career is the main thing that generate income for us to spend on living expenses and collecting wealth assets. Without career, we can't generate income to buy food and get shelter. So career is really important after all, although is not wealth.

But for most people, we have been obsessed with achieving career success until our determination blinded us from other aspect of life surrounding us all the time. We work day and night, spends weekend at office to satisfied our boss so we can get salary increament and promotion. Because of this we neglect our health and family relationship, some might work all the time till he forgot how fast his children have grown up in a glimpse. For some, their boss promotes other who are more talented and work lot less despite their extreme hardship all along. Full with disappointment and despair, they left the company to search for other opportunities. If they fail to realise the content of such, a dejavu will occure wherever they go.

Again such examples as above really defines why we should not be determine with career success, as most time it would not go our way. Career is a good for life journeys, but it should not be the main thing in life. Career is not a wealth, it doesn't bring happiness till your end. It is merely a tool for us to collect real wealth, such as savings and properties. So it is wise to save up much money along the way when you reaching the career climax, as it can enable you to be financial freedom when you retired one day.

A Creative Director friend of mine once told me this, "Clarence, always save up money whenever your earnings are high because you won't know when it ends, don't waste away the opportunity to collect wealth when you can." He was once a very successful Creative Director earning six figures during his high days, but since then he had sold off most of his assets to clear off debts and maintaining his family expenses. His works inspire me until today, although I have not yet reach my career climax but I will always save up to the days I reach my career high.

Career is not a wealth and it shouldn't be a determine part of one life. Is to my current conclusion, career is not wealth...