Read the text below and answer the questions that
follow:
Text 1:
Read Kate's blog:
The importance of doing what you love
When I was growing up, all I wanted to be was an
artist. When I got to high school and could choose
what classes to take, I took every art class that was
available. Painting, drawing, photography, you name
it - l took the class.
Then I took a chemistry class. I LOVED it. It was fun!
And I was good at it. I started thinking: wouldn't I make
more money if I went into the sciences instead of
being a starving artist?
So I threw away the art school applications and went
to study chemistry. College was fun, and when I
graduated with my chemistry degree, I went to
graduate school in Washington, D. C. to do a PhD
program in chemistry! It was OK to start with, but after
the first year, I was completely depressed. I hated the
program. It was dry and boring. But I didn't know what
to do about it.
So I quit. I spent the next month feeling bad about my
failure, unsure what to do next. Finally, I went to an employment agency to get a job. Something -
anything - that would pay money.
I got a temporary job filling envelopes at an NGO. One
day they needed some graphic design and I
volunteered. This was the major turning point in my
career. Over the next few months, they gave me more
and more design work. What began as a temporary
job turned into a permanent job. I was finally doing
something I loved, and I was making money doing it.
It's been difficult at times, but I really love my job.
Believe me, it is FAR more important that you are
happy and get to do what you are passionate about
every day and get paid less for it, than to dread getting
up in the morning because you dislike what you do.
NGO = non-governmental organization
Taken from:
LATHAM-KOENIG, Christina & OXENDEN, Clive. American
English File. 2nd edition. Oxford, 2014. p.83.