No.5 | What happens when I run out of money?

At the end of August I went into my overdraft, I think the final payment that pushed it over the edge was a day trip on a boat… rather luxurious for a recent graduate with no foreseeable source of income.

When you take the situation for what it is it seems rather odd; surely it’s more likely to be in your overdraft at university and then when you graduate, thanks to a new job and more importantly its monthly wage, you have the means to very slowly pay off your student debt and come out of your overdraft. This seems to be the opposite for me… perhaps because the postgraduate summer has drained my bank account and also because the BOMAD (Bank of Mum and Dad) are rightfully closing their doors now that my education is complete.

So what to do now? Surprisingly I’m okay with the increasing overdraft, partially reassured by the fact that the cafe still want to hire me despite the potential ski season, but mostly because it was my decision to forgo a guaranteed and somewhat ‘comfortable’ monthly income. I actively chose to give myself time to be curious and explore different careers. Whilst my bank account will look at this negatively (pardon the pun) I see this as a momentary opportunity cost as I take on a larger investment for my future.

Of course, as with most investments there’s no guarantee that this year will pay dividends. But, I am hopeful that by exploring careers I am curious about will enable me to decipher between jobs that satisfy my extrinsic motivation and jobs that develop my intrinsic motivation. Therefore, the return on my long-term investment should hopefully be a more purposeful life as I tap into the real me as opposed to an unfulfilling career which only satisfies a rather shallow version of myself.