Am I Good at Something?

I grew up being my most prominent critic. Am I good at something? Is it possible for me to succeed in life? Those were common questions passing through my head. At school, I was never the best in my class. I did not fail or excel in one specific class. How on earth was I going to survive my future?

The work environment demands you to be a specialist in your field, but what is the problem with being a generalist? Among my classmates, I was the average student whose grades were standard. I was just the girl doing her best in multiple topics she was passionate about. 

Social media have plenty of gurus making strong statements: Be the best in one thing, and you will be a billionaire. How can we blame these stereotypes? Since we were 17, our parents and school systems have required us to choose and stick to one path. 

Life is not white or black; we do not have to be good and one thing. Conversely, we can fall in love with multiple passions and go through them at different times. Life is not linear or biased. 

Specialist VS Generalist 

Recently, I was in the library with a community of expats learning Dutch, and one of my classmates said she was looking for a job. She said, “I am good at planning events, project management, and marketing.” 

Suddenly, another guy responded to her comment, “Woo, you are good at so many things.” I could see he was caught off guard. He was surprised that my other classmate applied for a job as a generalist.

Listening to the conversation rang a bell. In the work environment, there is no need to be only a specialist. You could be good at multiple things, and that is also useful. 

What is fascinating about humans relies on one thing: everyone has a different learning methodology. For some people, the best path is learning about one topic and getting better; for others, like me, getting proof of multiple areas is the key to integrating knowledge and creating something new. 

I have judged myself all my life for not being the standard person. That deep obsession with “Am I good at something?” erased my other reality: I have always been good at many things. 

From a Lawyer in Colombia to a Nanny in The United States.

Choosing your career path is a big decision that cannot be taken lightly. A wrong choice or social pressure could result in an unhappy life or even a future change of profession.

One of my closest friends studied law because her family told her it was the way. She learned her career and finished, but as soon as she was in the last years of her studies, she felt deep in her soul that law was not for her. Later, she migrated to The United States to be a nanny. 

I saw how many people questioned my friend. Why did she leave her country and expensive studies to be a nanny? Nobody saw that her real passion was not law but the kids. She worked her ass off to scale up and construct her life in another country, and today I can proudly say she became a Montessori School professor. That was her absolute dream.

As my friend, many migrants experience the same feeling. When they move to a new place, they leave behind what is expected of them and free themselves from social standards. And, of course, this is often work-related. 

An average migrant starts their life in a new country with another type of job. What was granted once in their country is no longer secure at their destination. Thousands of migrants pass from working in an office in their country to doing multiple jobs far away from what they studied: construction, cleaning, nanny, and so on. 

In another case, other migrants have high expectations of improving their lives and are open to doing whatever job they need to survive. In those cases, the process of adaptation differs. Read more about the Culture Shock and process of adaptation here.

In my case, I started my life working as a communicator in Colombia, and now I am a Barista in The Netherlands. I had to restart my path from 0, and I feel proud of myself because I had to adapt and prove that my job does not define who I am. Instead, what defines me are the actions I take to improve.

How to Know What Are You Good At

My life changed when I realized I was good, not just at one thing but multiple things. I grew up with a strong mother who was excellent at being a lawyer, and the same goes with my father. I admire them; they were great at their work, but I am not my parents. 

Migrating forces you to analyze your strengths and weaknesses; new cultures push you to deep introspection and explore who you are, what you can do, and where you want to go. To achieve your most ambitious goals, I recommend this podcast by Mel Robbins.

A few days ago, I started comparing myself with a university classmate. I saw on her social media that she lives alone, has two dogs, and is an SEM specialist. My ego was killing me. Am I good at something? How on earth am I cleaning tables, and that “girl is living her best life?” 

Create Your Own “Best Life”

Your dreams are often far away from the neighbor. What was suitable for my classmate might not be ideal for me. While she was still living in Colombia, I moved to another continent. While she was getting better at the career we studied, I have been working to integrate into a new culture. I said this because none of us is better than the other; each one is just doing the best in our context. 

I might not be the best marketer in Colombia, but I am becoming the best migrant I can be in the Netherlands, and I am honored by it. Sometimes, it is hard to understand that your process is unique even though we can look like we all come from the same place. 

If you are a generalist or specialist, live in another country, or are in your homeland, I want to tell you YOU ARE DOING GREAT! I know how hard it is to accept your process and believe you are doing what is needed to go one step further. 

I know I am a barista learning Dutch today, but in some years, I will be the best at what I decide. 

You can transform yourself in whatever you choose because, dear migrant, you made one decision the day you left everything behind: learn how to adapt to multiple environments. Embrace it as your most incredible skill.