WHAT ABOUT ME?

Micael

graduaded and post graduaded

 What do you do when you're not job-market-ready but can't afford a master's degree? Well, you enter a graduate program!

Jokes aside (not a joke), last week I went to Amsterdam in a 10 days conference to graduade from my traineeship at ING.

For those who've recently joined the group: In 2021, I was accepted into a graduate program at ING - a Dutch multinational banking corporation. In the program, I was able to rotate through various areas of the bank over two years, including a rotation in Australia.

I used to be that kid who'd visit my dad's office, observing people typing away under this all white artificial light and thinking: "Is this life?” and “This isn't for me”. How can anyone be happy working in front of a computer in a corporate office every single day?

Fast forward a few years, and after graduating from Bocconi, I faced one of the hardest choices of my life: Return to Brazil for what used to be my dream job in Music Marketing or take a corporate job and stay in Europe.

For countless reasons, I chose to stay in Europe - even if it meant a career that didn't ignite my passion. I reflect a lot on this choice and how it affects not only my life today but also the person I am becoming. And here’s the thing:

❝ 

Contrary to what we're often told, our career isn't our purpose and neither the source of our happiness.

Let me explain: Back when I was little, my greatest fear was professional failure. I dreamt of success, money, findind my purpose, and I honestly believed that only then could I be happy.

And the biggest lesson I learned in the past two years is understanding that our happiness is so plural that it could never be confined to a job. Since I’ve joined ING, I challenged myself, discovered new hobbies, explored new corners of the world, made lifelong friends, and everything while working in a 9am-5pm corporate job (from home thanks to COVID).

Little Micael would assume I’d be miserable working at a corporate, but it's liberating to know: I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and my life's happiness is not about my job.

Don't get me wrong: Am I saying we can all thrive and be happily ever after with terrible jobs? No. It's natural to seek a fulfilling job and you should always try to find something that makes you smile. It is a huge part of your day. I am lucky enough to have an incredible work environment, an amazing team, and ING provides a fantastic work-life balance. But if you ask me whether my job is my passion, the answer is a resounding no. However, have I been happy and successful over the last two years? Absolutely yes.

My biggest lesson here is that our happiness and our purpose in this life is so much bigger and greater than any job could ever be. It's about us, as individuals, creating and experiencing ourselves in this beautifully complex world.

To ING: I still don’t know how I passed those interviews and the incredibly selective application process. I'm extremely grateful to be part of a program that allowed me to explore, develop new passions, meet friends for a lifetime, and work at a company that is actually striving to make the world better. I can't predict whether I'll be part of the group for more one, three or five years. But I know you’ll always be a part of my story. And I am really proud of that.

Micael.

PS: If you like the topic, I highly recommend this course called “Science of Happiness”. It is facinating to discover how much power we have over our overall state of mind. And in case you were wondering, ITP stands for International Talent Programme.