I Guess I’m an Adult Now...
If you’ve ever felt like you’re just winging this whole “being an adult” thing… same. In a digital landscape filled with perfectly curated content, join Chizi Duru as she unpacks the messy, hilarious, and sometimes chaotic realities of growing up. From the lies we were told about adulthood to the sneaky ways trauma shows up in everyday life, nothing is off-limits. Expect deep convos, unfiltered rants, words of faith, wisdom, and the occasional mental breakdown (because, let’s be real we’ve all been there).
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I Guess I’m an Adult Now...
I made $2 Million as an INFLUENCER after quitting Medical School - Ep 05
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Have you ever stood at a crossroads, knowing your next step would forever alter the course of your life? That's exactly where I found myself as a junior in college—a biology major with a meticulously planned future in medicine suddenly questioning everything about my path.
This episode dives deep into one of the most pivotal decisions I've ever made: walking away from medical school to pursue content creation full-time. It wasn't just choosing between two careers—it was choosing between security and uncertainty, between meeting expectations and following an inner knowing that wouldn't stay quiet.
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One of the first major life decisions that I've ever made, that was me forfeiting medical school to pursue full-time content creation. Quick story time so it is 2016, 2017. So this is my third year of college. I am a biology major, well into my biology degree. When I say I was going to medical school and going to become a doctor like that was my plan, I remember calling my dad when I really started to feel the prick in my spirit. I remember calling him and telling him hey, I'm not going to medical school. Do you know that I met? First of all, he was silent and then he said excuse me. He said excuse me. He was like don't even try that, it's only eight years. Just close your eyes. Eight years will be gone. I said eight years, eight years, because you only have one life, bro. One thing about a 20 year old you're going to have some audacity Because I look back and I think about the fact that I really sat here and did not go to medical school. I really didn't do it. This decision actually changed the trajectory of my life. What's up guys? Welcome back to the podcast. Oh my gosh, we are really in this thing. Are you guys enjoying the fact that, like weekly episodes are actually coming out weekly on the same day at the same time. Shout out to me for consistency. All right, so we are back. If this is the first time you are tuning in, hi, I am Chizzy, your host, okay, your fellow adult doing this adult life with you. Today, I really wanted to talk about making major life decisions. I feel like one of the really big indicators that you are truly an adult now is just you having to make major life decisions that ultimately affect the trajectory of your life. Whether that's like picking a college major or deciding on what career to take, you know what path you want to take. Do you want to become an entrepreneur? All the things Ooh, even down to like picking a spouse, where to live, like there's so many major and just big decisions that you have to make as an adult and it's so scary, oh my gosh. So today I actually wanted to share one of the first major life decisions that I've ever made, and it was a career decision, and that was me forfeiting medical school to go down the entrepreneurial path and pursue full-time content creation and YouTube and, ultimately, just media. Yeah, I kind of want to tell you guys about that whole thing because I think one I've learned a lot since that decision that I've made. That I made eight years ago now, because I made that decision in 2017 when I graduated college. And yeah, so I want to talk about it because I think you can learn a lot from just other people's experiences. So let me set the stage for you. Okay, quick story time. So it is 2016, 2017. Okay, I am a junior in college, so this is my third year of college. I am a biology major, well into my biology degree.
Speaker 1:In fact, I didn't even have any minors, because when I say I was going to medical school and going to become a doctor like that was my plan I literally remember planning out my life at 12 years old. Like I was sitting in front of my mirror in my bedroom and I had just had a conversation with my parents and I was like, what about nursing school and this and that? And my dad was like just just go be a doctor. And I was like you're right, you know, cause I used to watch a lot of Grey's Anatomy. So I was like I'm clearly interested in this, so I'm going to be a doctor, and I literally planned it out. I was like, okay, I'm going to go to high school, then I'm going to go to college and I'll be done by 21. And then, well, 24, 25. And then maybe I'll do a three or four year residency, so I should be out by 28, 29. Like that was the plan. So yeah, so it's my third year in college. Right Side note I was so depressed, like I was depressed out of my mind for reasons that we're going to talk about on another episode, but I started feeling like like I just started noticing that I was researching a lot of other careers.
Speaker 1:Not only was I researching careers as a doctor, because you know, it's my junior year, so by that point you kind of need to start studying for the MCAT and figuring out like your plans for medical school and stuff. So I had to really start making a decision on all right, are you doing this medical school thing or not? Because you've, you've got to, you know, take the next steps. And I noticed that when it came to like researching different types of like doctors to become, I would always look at the salaries, like I was always looking at the salaries. If you ask me off the dome what's the salary for a certain type of doctor. I promise you, I can tell you because that's how much I researched it. I learned that thing, but I noticed that it was just the salaries I was looking at.
Speaker 1:But then, you know, I also started researching other things. I started really looking into the career paths of like Oprah and Tyra Banks and Tyler Perry like Oprah and Tyra Banks and Tyler Perry and I noticed that my interest was peaked there. I just noticed that I was very interested in their story because their story wasn't traditional. They didn't follow a traditional path. They were more of like a trailblazer and obviously there, you know, there was a lot of faith and things that went into their successful careers. But I was very interested in just these stories. So by the end of junior year, I pretty much knew in my spirit and knew in my heart and in my spirit I was like I think I want to pursue media. I remember at the time I was, I would say, media and communications Cause I really didn't know. I didn't know what to call it Like, because even being a YouTuber was not like that much of a thing, like it was a thing, but it really wasn't a thing. And if you followed me on YouTube at that time back in 2016, 2017, I've logged this stuff so you could literally I don't know if they're still up anymore, actually but if you are an OG follower then you know that I took y'all through the trenches of confusion with me and we were figuring out what I was doing with my career.
Speaker 1:Fast forward to senior year of college, I get my biology degree. Right, I did pick up a. What did I pick up? I picked up a communications minor. I remember talking to you know, just some of my classmates, and we're all like, okay, what are you doing after graduation? Cause, that's, oh my God, and it's the season of graduation. Shout out to all the graduates. You know they would all be like you know what are you doing? And they would tell me what they're doing. And one would be like, oh, I am going to do like research for the summer. And I'd be like, oh, I'm going to pursue YouTube. And it would be silence. And you know what, in hindsight, the silence was warranted, because what do you mean? What do you mean? You're going to go do YouTube after you done, got this biology degree.
Speaker 1:But by that point, you know, I resolved in my spirit and I just knew like I had a knowing, and now, in hindsight, I know that really, that was God putting that on my spirit, but I just had a knowing that I was supposed to pursue this thing. I just knew it. I was excited about it and you know, you got to know the type of person you are, but this is my personal story. Um, and you know, you got to know the type of person you are, but this is my personal story. So I decided to, you know, try out content creation full-time or being a YouTuber in 2017, right after I graduated from college. That was eight years ago and since then, I've gone on to be truly a successful full-time content creator.
Speaker 1:Um, and I've built, you know, an amazing career in media, and you know, I don't I don't have to sit here and tell you all of my accolades, you know, but the Lord has blessed me. Actually, I am going to tell you some of my accolades. So you know, I have grown an amazing, an amazing platform here on YouTube, instagram, tiktok of over a million followers, right, and I was a fundamental figure Pioneer Chizzy Daru has become a household name. Yes, she has no. Honestly, I am one of the pioneers of, like, the natural hair movement, which is so insane to think about, because that's not what I was planning at the time. But either way, um, you know, and I've inspired millions of black women to love their hair, to love their natural hair. I have been featured in Essence Magazine as a trailblazer in beauty period 20. That happened last year. I've worked with countless brands, some of the top brands in the world. I've grossed over $2 million in this space. Yes, we are talking numbers because we need to expand horizons. Okay, what are millions? Millions are nothing, nothing.
Speaker 1:Honestly, though, I don't say all of that to brag In fact, I really can't brag because it is really like I truly have to thank God. I truly have to thank God for carving out a path for me, because that is exactly what has happened over the last eight years. When I say God just carved a path out for me, that's exactly what has happened over the last eight years. When I say God just carved a path out for me, that's exactly what happened, because I didn't know what I was doing. I don't even know how I got here. I don't know how I got here, like you know, like, yes, I have worked hard and been consistent over the years, but it is truly just like favor. You know, god's favor has truly met me and um, oh man, sometimes I still can't even believe that it. It very much worked out Like and we're going to get all into it today, like that's what this whole episode is about.
Speaker 1:I really want to walk through just the process of making the decision, the major decision, to forfeit medical school and become and pursue full-time content creation, because at the time it didn't make no sense. There was no information in front of me that told me I would be successful in this thing. There was no blueprint that I could follow, for the most part, because none of my family members have pursued like media and been like very successful in it. Right Like I didn't have friends and family that were doing these things that could at least like guide me. All I had was a feeling. All I had was a feeling. All I had was a feeling and some and information from just the platform that I had built over the years, because by the time I was making this decision, I had about 80,000 subscribers on YouTube. I remember that I had 80,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Speaker 1:Was I making any money? Not really. From the time that I graduated from college, by that point I had made, yeah, maybe a thousand dollars, maybe $2,000. Like, I was not making any money from that, you know. So there was nothing that was telling me, or there was nothing showing me visually that, okay, this is how it was going to work out, right, versus at least medical school. I knew, I've seen blueprints of that. I know what that looks like, right, I know what the potential salary is going to be after you come out. I know, you know the four years you got to put in, the four years in residency. I know what the path is going to look like, you know.
Speaker 1:But I think that was also the beauty of living life and having experience in college, because not only did I have, you know, even though I didn't have any like real money that I was making from content creation um, the success hadn't really come yet Um, I had an inner feeling, right, I had this dream. But I also had a new perspective and from the experience that I gained from being in college, right, and it taught me to dream a little bit more, to dream a little bit bigger. And you know, I had some audacity as well. I sure did. You know one thing about a 20 year old you're going to have some audacity, because I look back and I think about the fact that I really sat here and did not go to medical school. I really didn't do it and I remember telling my dad, I remember calling him.
Speaker 1:I remember calling my dad. I think I was this was junior year when I really started to feel the prick in my spirit. I remember calling him and telling him hey, I'm not going to medical school. Do you know that? First of all, he was silent and then he said, excuse me. And you know my dad, he real Nigerian. Okay, he said excuse me. He was like don't even try that, it's only eight years. Just close your eyes, eight years will be gone. I said eight years and you know, when you're 20, when you're young, eight years seems like an eternity. An eternity, mind you. Those eight years have passed, they have come and they have gone. You know there's this popular saying that the time is going to pass anyway and it sure will. It sure will and it sure did.
Speaker 1:So I want to talk about my personal process of deciding to switch my career path and go into full-time content creation. Okay, because it was a really, really, really, really, really big decision and it involved a lot of strategy right, and thinking about it, and I picked up some nuggets along the way that I think could be really, really helpful for you guys as well. If you are at a point in your life where you have to make a major life decision whether it's about career or any other just major life decision and you know, I like talking about it because this decision actually changed the trajectory of my life it's crazy to think about it, but it's also so cool that I had enough wisdom to recognize that that was the case. I knew that, deciding whether or not to go to medical school or, you know, become or pursue media, I knew that whichever way I went, the trajectory of my life would look completely different, so I had to make a decision. You know, hopefully this will give you guys some nuggets as well, um, so, yeah, again I'm at, I'm 21 years old. Again, I have enough wisdom to recognize that I'm embarking on a new decade, right, and I really didn't want to squander it. I didn't want to waste my twenties. I really, really didn't. One thing about me that I can really thank God for is that he's given me the gift of wisdom. So I've always been a wise girl. I've always had sense, but you know I love to have a good time, but I have always had a good head on my shoulders and I use my brain.
Speaker 1:And one of the things that really helped give me perspective on even just how to maximize my twenties was books. You know so, two major books that really really helped me in my process when I first, you know, when I was in my early twenties um, the first one was the defining decade. Uh, it's by Meg Jay. Oh, my God, this book, reading that book at 21 years old, fresh out of college, gave me so much perspective. I'm so thankful that I read that book. Okay, um, so if you are younger or honestly, I feel like you, you know what I think. I'm going to read that book again. I'm going to read it just, you know, almost to do like a little bit of reflection on how much of the information that I read, how much did I utilize it. But I think I, I think I did it, I think I did actually, but, yeah, so that book set me up for just having really good perspective on how to maximize my twenties when it comes to just career and stuff.
Speaker 1:And then also another really great book that helped was Crushing it by Gary Vee. Great book that helped was Crushing it by Gary Vee. Let me just say this as a caveat Gary Vee helped me so much when I was younger, like when I was, you know, trying to just navigate a content creator, a new content creator and like there weren't a lot of people around me that really understood the path that I was taking because it was so new. You know, like influencer marketing and content creation and social media is so new, you know, and I started when it was still just emerging, right, I made my first YouTube video in 2011, which was way before, you know, the whole influencer marketing thing kind of sprung, but even 2017, 2016, kind of sprung, but even 2017, 2016, influencer marketing was just emerging, like it was not even. It's definitely not what it was then, you know.
Speaker 1:So, but what was really great about you know Gary Vee's book and just Gary Vee in general. He I guess he's he's been in the industry for a long time and he has an amazing wisdom on him where he just listen, if you ever want to do anything in your life and take some risks and go into entrepreneurship, you better listen to Gary Vee. He's going to tell you to just do it. Okay, he's going to curse a little bit or a lot of it, so just keep that in mind. But reading his book really helped me just feel confident in my decision to pursue media full-time. So, yeah, so, these books were really really great and yeah so when it came to just the process of me coming to a decision on choosing a career path for me.
Speaker 1:So here's what I did. Okay, the first step that I took was I just, very simple, made a pros and cons list of each decision that I was. You know that, each path that I could take. So there was a pros and cons list for going to medical school and becoming a doctor, and there was a pros and cons list for pursuing media full time, content creation, communications, all the things, and um. So, after I did like the pros and cons of each, I recognized because the point of doing these things is for you to start reflecting on it so that you can then make a decision right and it or shall I say it'll give you clues to what decision you should make. So I recognized that a lot of the pros that I put down for medicine were things like status, salary, security For me. I realized that being a doctor was more for the accolades and not because I actually wanted to be a doctor, you know. And then when it came to like pursuing media and stuff like the pros of that were, I noticed that it was more based off of just excitement and things that I loved and being able to get a message out there and like it was a much deeper meaning than for medicine.
Speaker 1:Again, this is my personal journey. So this is my personal journey. Okay, it's my personal. I'm not saying don't go to medical school, we need more doctors. So this is my personal journey. Okay, it's my personal. I'm not saying don't go to medical school, we need more doctors, so please go, um, but I'm just saying I'm just talking about my personal journey. And actually I want to caveat by saying cause I do think sometimes when you listen to people, there is this temptation to take what they say and apply it to your life, and I want to be very careful and just encourage you to, as you are listening to other people's journeys, at a point you have to like silence it out and sit with yourself, sit with God, pray. You better get on your knees and pray and really think about the direction that you're supposed to go for your life. Okay, because your story does not have to be somebody else's story. Each and every one of us have a very particular path. So just keep that in mind, because I know how easy it is to just like, be like, okay, well, she's, she did that, so I'm going to do that. Yeah, so the pros and cons I noticed that I wanted to pursue medicine for the accolades and um, media was more like a deeper meaning and messaging behind it.
Speaker 1:Another thing that really, really helped me in making a decision was this framework called regret minimization. Okay, first of all, I didn't even know this was a framework that Jeff Bezos used when he launched Amazon. I can tell you. But, um, yeah, Jeff Bezos actually used this framework for making big decisions. So how it works is essentially you ask yourself at the end of my life, will I regret not having done this? Okay, so at the end of my life, will I regret not having done this? This framework helped me so much in putting into perspective if I should make this decision or not, because, remember, although deep down I wanted to pursue media, there was no guarantee that it was going to work out for me and there's no. Like. It was really like I had to have faith because there was just no one around me that did this.
Speaker 1:Like. I'm Nigerian American, my parents are immigrants. Okay, what they know is school. You get an education. Okay, you, you, you get a good job. So you have a very stable salary and you will be okay. So I'm going a completely different path. So, like now, I don't even have my parents to kind of lean on to help with guiding me on a decision. I remember my dad was pissed so I could not talk to him about none of this. We've come a long way since then, but back then, 2016, 2017, yeah, no, he was not with it. So for Bezos, right, he was met with the question of whether to leave his comfortable job working at a hedge fund to build Amazon, and the answer for him he came to was something to the effect of he could stay there and do very well, but he'll always wonder what that business idea could have been. So he minimized his regrets, he left the firm, started Amazon. And here we are. Amazon is now valued at $2 trillion.
Speaker 1:So it was kind of the same for me, right? I had to ask myself the question at the end of my life will I regret not having pursued YouTube and media? And then, at the end of my life, will I regret not having pursued YouTube and media? And then, at the end of my life, will I regret not having pursued medical school? So I realized that I would regret it more if I did not pursue media and content creation, because there was just no guarantee that this opportunity right, that opportunity that I could discern at that time would pass me by again. And I just knew, like if I had gone on and gone to medical school and just did the original plan that I had at the back of my mind, it would have always ate at me what would have happened had I pursued YouTube and constant creation and media, and I just feel like that would have been a regret that I would have always had in my life. So that's how I knew that this was what I needed to pursue and do and put my all into. So you know, versus with medical school and becoming a doctor, I realized that, yeah, maybe there's a possibility in 10 years it would have sucked Like dang. You could have just went to medical school, you would have been done by now. But it was something that I could stomach, right, that was a regret that I could stomach. I would be. I, like, I could always go back, do nursing school. I could always go back to medical school if I wanted to, right, I could get some other type of science degree. I could become a CRNA, like them. Folks be making money. Okay, if you don't want to go to medical school and do anesthesiologist, you can really become a CRNA. They make bank. So we've talked about pros and cons, right, we've talked about regret minimization.
Speaker 1:Another tool that I used to make my decision was just reflecting and observing myself. So what I call this are the clues. Okay, these are the clues that you can recognize about yourself, and also, god's going to give you some clues, because one thing about the Lord he's going to give you clues. I just started reflecting and observing things that piqued my interest. So I noticed that I was really excited when it came to content and not even like, not even just about my own content. I was so excited about learning about other people's journeys in their career, like you should have seen the time when I was like researching Oprah's career, like it was the coolest thing to me, right. Researching Tyler Perry's career, like wow, like it was just so cool. I loved learning about other people's stories. Um, and yeah, just something about content and creating, uh, creating videos that could put out messaging into the world that was from my own heart and impacts people in a way that is truly impactful in their lives.
Speaker 1:Something about that just intrigued me and it like I was so passionate about it. And you know why? It's because I grew up watching media and I knew how much media affected me in a positive way and in a negative way. There were some shows that I would watch and it would make me, like, want to be more confident myself and learn how to love myself. So I just knew the power of media and I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to put messaging out there that could impact others and honestly change the trajectory of their lives, make them think in a more positive way, and things like that.
Speaker 1:So these were the clues, right, that I started realizing, oh, you really like this stuff, like you really feel connected to this. I didn't feel this connection when it came to medicine. So that's number three, okay, reflection and observation the clues, and then lifestyle. Okay, so working is a significant part of your life, like you will spend a lot of time working, so you really want to think about how do you want to spend that time, because you only have one life, bro. Like you only have one life and I couldn't imagine spending all of my life doing something that I just don't really feel that connected to. So, um, I really thought about you know what I would want, just how I would want to spend my daily life right when it came to work.
Speaker 1:And this is why I think it's important to like really not only shadow people in certain careers that you're looking into, do your research. Like YouTube is such a goldmine for finding out just the day-to-day of certain careers, because now you know you have vlogs, people showing the day in the live, so you can really see what actually goes into the day-to-day of certain career paths. Because I think, even like for me, like when it came to being a doctor and stuff, like we have a certain idea right, there's a picture that we paint in our heads about, like what it's going to be like to do a certain thing, right when I, when it comes to career. So for me, like being a doctor, it's like, oh my God, I'm going to save the day and because we see all these shows, but like these shows are not real. Like you need to find out people's real life, like what actually goes on behind the scenes in these careers. So shadow people, research, right, youtube and then also talk to people, because talking to people, talking to people don't give you the real tea.
Speaker 1:So I had to just think about it. Like, do I want to spend the next eight years of my life Cause at the time, right, it would have been at least eight years, at least eight years. Do I want to spend that? You know, studying, being in books all the time? Um, you know, taking tests? Do I want to be in the hospital all the time? Like you have to think about these things because that's the reality of it, right, and even after the next eight years, even after those eight years, right, what would the next eight years look like if I pursued medicine?
Speaker 1:Right now, I'm working in a hospital and one thing that I noticed was when I would shadow in the hospital, right, or I would volunteer in the hospital. Now, granted, to be fair, I never actually shadowed a doctor. I never shadowed a doctor, to be fair. I only just volunteered at the hospital sometimes. So I was around the patients, so it kind of gave me an idea I was never interested like I was. I would be so bored in the hospital, like, but maybe it's because I didn't shadow that well, but either way, um, when I would just like look up, like YouTube videos, people's day in the lives, read books on people's like personal experience becoming a doctor, I just wasn't really connected to it, like, first of all, half them, folk did not seem happy, so, yeah. So how do you want to spend your time, right, researching, studying? Do I want to spend a lot of my life and time talking to people? Do I want to be creating art? Do I want to be moving my body? Do I want to be creating films, like? Do I want to be building houses? How do you want to spend majority of your days? I feel like that's a really great way to think about the career path to follow. Okay.
Speaker 1:And then, lastly, I had to recognize and discern what season I was in, okay, so remember I mentioned before that you know in the beginning, I, you know God has blessed me with this beautiful gift of wisdom and I was really able to recognize that I was in a very pivotal point in my life, at 20, 21 years old and, like I, was at the beginning of this next decade of my life and I and I and I knew that I didn't want to squander it. Really, recognizing and discerning the season you're in is really asking yourself where are you in life right now? What do you have Right? So, for me, I was 21. I had just gotten my bachelor's degree. I had built my YouTube channel to about 80,000 subscribers, right. So there was still space and opportunity to grow on YouTube, cause remember, this is 2016, 2017. So the influencer marketing industry hadn't even boomed yet, which is so like insane that I had the foresight back then. But, like, that was God, that was God, that sure was. I recognize that, okay, there's there. Okay, there's opportunity here, there's still room to grow, right. So that was me discerning the season or the opportunity that I had right.
Speaker 1:What was essentially what was in my hands? There's a biblical concept it was one of the prophets and a woman and all she had was oil and she's like I don't have a lot. And then the prophet was like what's in your hands? Anyway, this was what was in my hands at the time. Okay, I had this platform that I had already built to 80,000 subscribers over the years and there was still room to grow. I could recognize that on YouTube there was a lot of room to grow. There weren't that many. There weren't even that many black successful like huge content creators, there were only. I feel like at that time, 2016, 2017, I feel like I feel like we had like two. If that like yeah, like there was, like there was so much room.
Speaker 1:You know, this makes me think about the, the word Kairos. So there's a biblical word. Right, it's called Kairos timing. Right, it's a Greek word and it essentially means time. It translates to right time or opportune time, so it basically emphasizes like divinely appointed times or moments for action or transformation, and it's just essentially, it highlights the importance of recognizing and acting on opportune moments. It could be like you can even call it like a God moment. Right, this is a Kairos moment. It's different from the word chronos, which means chronological order. Just like the chronological order of time, kairos is like this is a God moment.
Speaker 1:There's this saying you strike when the iron is hot. Okay, the iron ain't always going to be hot, but there's this particular time. Right, this is where you should strike right. This is the opportunity that you should take. You should take it because this may not come again.
Speaker 1:So that's what it felt like when it came to what I was doing with YouTube in 2016, 2017. Like, I felt I could feel it Like that's actually, yeah, that's that's the feeling that I was having. Like it just felt like I think there's something here, cause I remember, even like after I graduated, I had done, um, the graduation cap hack. So it's basically a way for women to, or anybody with natural hair, to, wear their graduation cap without, like smushing their Afro. It went completely viral, like all the major news outlets picked it up, like it was a huge thing.
Speaker 1:And I remember I remember deleting my old Twitter because I was like, oh, people watching me now, they not going to get me with my old tweets because I was a fighter back then. Okay. So I literally remember deleting my old Twitter because I'm like, oh, I'm finna blow. But I remember feeling like this must be a sign. This must be a sign that this is what I'm supposed to like, pursue, and I think it really was. I actually do think it was Okay. So that is ultimately how I made the decision. Okay, that was. That was very long winded, but I think and I hope it helped you. That is ultimately how I decided to pursue media full-time.
Speaker 1:And you want to know what's so funny, even though I decided to pursue media full-time, do you know that I never fully, like gave up on the idea or the possibility of going back to medical school until 2021? In the back of my head, I was always like you sure you're not going to go back to medical school? You sure you're not going to go back to medical school? You sure you're not? It took really like, because you got to understand this is, this is a completely uncharted path that I'm taking. This is uncharted territory for me. Like, I felt like sometimes, like the rug would get pulled out from under me, um, even when, you know, I started getting successful and I started making money and you know I'm getting great views on YouTube, like, because this is not a career path that I like have seen for myself personally, like people do and be successful in like I mean in my personal life I'm not talking about strangers, right, I was just scared, like. I was scared that like maybe I should still go to school, you know, Um, so it was. It was actually in 2021. I remember like I was like I think you can let that go now. I think God has carved out this path for you. I think you're okay and I guess that's another topic for another day.
Speaker 1:You know, because there's the I don't know if it's called imposter syndrome or I don't know if it's like the guilt of being successful or like I don't know if it's like the guilt of being successful or like I don't know. Sometimes I just felt like I don't, I don't really work that hard, yet I'm making a really great living, like I should be working really hard. You know, and and it's not to say that I wasn't working hard at all but creating content and going to medical school you cannot compare the two. Let's be serious. You know is there. You know, certain aspects of content creation and being an entrepreneur and running a business. That is difficult and hard, absolutely, but it's not the same type of like brain power. You know that you got to use for, like, medical school, but regardless, yeah, that's just a fun fact I didn't let it go completely until 2021.
Speaker 1:So back to what I was saying like as you get older, right, and you gain experience in life, you know you, in hindsight, you start reflecting on the decisions that you made and there are a couple of things that I think my mindset has changed on. So the first thing is education. Right, I am a big believer now, especially approaching 30, like education is actually like leverage, okay. So I think at the time I didn't really value education as much as I do now and I think that just kind of came with experience and in life, like if you do it right, and this is why sometimes you have to just go out and enter the real world first before you know pursuing further education. But education can really be a. It can really set you up for a great life and career and you can do so much with your education beyond solely working, you know, in corporate, although there's nothing wrong with a traditional nine to five, because as you get older your priorities start to shift as well.
Speaker 1:Like maybe now you want to be more stable, you know you want to make sure that you got that check coming in every two weeks and you are good, like that is lovely. You know, sometimes as an entrepreneur I'm like bro, the money be. I don't know when the money coming in. Sometimes it's so annoying Like there is, there's low key, no, like structure. So if you are somebody that's just thinking about your career path and school is, you know, a possibility, I would say, you know, gain real world experience to just make sure you are choosing like, like, just school makes sense for the career path that you are trying to take. Because now in hindsight I'm like, oh, I know, if I were to go back to school, I know exactly what I'm going back to school for, but that took me being out in the real world to see it and go. Okay, yeah, also another thing guys, there is always time to pivot. I'm sure many of you are that are listening, are and watching. Are you know?
Speaker 1:Probably either starting your career, you're settling into your career, you're well into your career, and or maybe you're not, you're no longer content with your career, for whatever reason, whether you know, maybe you don't like the lifestyle of it, you don't like the salary, et cetera. Right, you have time to pivot. As we start getting older, I think we sometimes put ourselves into this, we fall into this trap of thinking we don't have time. I have kids now I'm doing this. Now I'm too old, I can't go back to law school, I can't go back to medical school, I can't go back to nursing school, I can't start a business now. You have time, you can pivot, because even me, like, there were certain points where I was like I feel like I'm too old to go back to school.
Speaker 1:What If you don't go back to school with your 30 year old self? You know, I feel like that's the perfect time, that's a great time. I think your thirties are actually a great time to pivot. If you are thinking about going back to school, please go back to school. Go back to school. You know why. I'm going to tell you what my dad said the time, the time is going to pass anyway. In another four years you're going to be four years older and you could have either just gone back to school like you wanted to, or now four years have passed and you still didn't go back to the school that you still wanted to go back to. Just go back, go back. I don't know who needed to hear that, but somebody needed to hear that. Yeah, I feel like school is actually really helpful, especially when you strategically, when you are strategic about school, oh right, you pick a career path, you understand a career path, and then you get the education behind it. Ah, it's so good, you still have time. Okay, you still have time.
Speaker 1:If it is on your heart and it keeps pricking at your spirit, it's because can you imagine? It's because you're supposed to do it. So do it. Do it scared, do it All right. And last thing that I think I have learned is prayer. Prayer is really that girl.
Speaker 1:Let me tell you something In 2017, I was not living all the way right. No, I was not, and I knew it. But you know what I still did? I still got down on my knees and I prayed and I asked the Lord to guide me. I remember I was begging God. I was like God, please, you got to help me make a decision on which path to take with my life. Like, you got to tell me, tell me, please. You know I would pray man. Oh, my God. I remember one day I just broke down. I broke down and literally fell on my knees. It was so dramatic, but I really felt like I felt the Lord that day, even if I was a sinner. Oh, the Lord is good. He's so good. Honestly, I'm so thankful because he really did answer my prayers. Like, so, talk to Jesus. Like, really talk to Jesus. He's the ultimate baby. He's. He's going to make your path straight. Okay, even if you don't believe in him, pray to him anyway. See what happens. That's it. That's my story. That is how. That was the first major life decision that I ever made and that's how I got to where I am today.
Speaker 1:So I hope this episode was helpful. This was a long one. I feel like I've been here for a minute. I hope you guys enjoyed. Um, yeah, make sure you guys are sharing. Tell, tell a friend to tell a friend. We are over here talking about all the things when it comes to adulthood and I will see you guys in the next episode. Bye, y'all.
