"What kind of ideas do you want to convey to your readers?"
I thought for a moment and said, "I hope they can all do the work they truly want to do, without caring about others' opinions. If the salary is too low, they should start their own venture."
It's because of this mindset that, after experiencing the tension between dreams and reality, I chose a full-time job with relatively lower pay compared to my education and experience, with more hours and pressure than typical jobs. Although it's really tiring sometimes, and the public reputation isn't great, my spirit is enriched because I know this is something I'm truly passionate about, and no matter how difficult, I feel I'm gaining growth.
These are things that no amount of money could ever give me.
But making such a choice really takes courage. I just want to say that we work hard, not solely for money. Although money can help us accumulate wealth, realize our ideals, and make life less difficult, the reality is that there are some things where "if you don't do it now, you'll never have the chance again," because they require thresholds and youth to have the qualification—you can't just do them whenever you want.
For example, in journalism, especially television news, educational background isn't as important as practical ability. Some people have already gained broadcasting and actual reporting experience through campus television during their school years, or worked as interns at TV stations, actually getting exposure to the industry. By the time they transition to full-time positions, they're more capable than others and have more sense to understand what supervisors expect, how to write scripts, and the right work attitude.
Using myself as an example, I studied mass communication, so I didn't just study journalism—I focused more on film, television, and advertising production, and my thesis work was primarily long-form content. My accumulation of journalism work came almost entirely from competitions and training programs I participated in on my own, but looking back now, all of these represent "accumulated breaks" rather than continuous accumulation.
What's the difference?
What I call accumulated breaks is when you try to enrich your resume, but activities A, B, C, and D, when viewed individually, seem diverse—like participating in business competitions, news reporting competitions, video competitions, and so on. However, these competitions have no connection to each other; they span different fields and serve different purposes, making it impossible to consolidate them into a single professional domain where you can establish a reputation within that scope. After participating, it ends there with no continuity.
Conversely, continuous accumulation means that activities A, B, C, and D are all within the same field, strengthening your expertise in that area. For instance, the example mentioned earlier—being a campus broadcaster during student years while also working in the industry, serving as a news club editor with actual portfolio work, and the work is presentable or shows that you've dug deep in a certain field. This helps you understand what you need and leaves others with the impression that you "had a plan all along."
Of course, accumulated breaks aren't absolutely bad. I have quite a few people around me now who've started to envy people like me who've touched on every field. I can continue developing my interests after work and also exercise my strengths and pursue my ideals during work hours. Either way, what matters most is returning to your own heart: "What kind of person do you want to become?" and "What are you passionate about?" Only then can you persist long-term and gain spiritual growth and peace of mind.
