Where it all begins.

I have just graduated from the University of Montreal with a degree in economics and mathematics. My head is spinning with my future shining out in front of me. I just received two job offers.

Choice 1 : Work for the prestigious consulting firm Proaction International.

Choice 2 : Work for a smaller institute as a project researcher.

Work for the prestigious consulting firm Proaction International.

The firm is intense and very demanding. By the end of the first day, the boss, in between two calls, gives me a complex project based on fiscal policy and told me that he need it done by today.

Choice 1 : Stay late to impress the boss and give good impression.

Choice 2 : Leave at reasonable hours and maintain an equilibrium between work and life.

Work for a smaller institute as a project researcher.

The think tank is smaller, friendly and quieter. I am assigned to basic research such as the effects of basic income on a society. One of my colleagues even invited me to his place for a welcome party!

Choice 1 : Start the basic income project.

Choice 2 : Continue throwing parties with my colleague, who already had become my best friend.

Stay late to impress the boss and give good impression.

Giving all of my energy on this project, I finish the project by 9 PM. I give a call to the boss, telling him that I am done. The boss is pretty impressed of my work and offers me a key role in the next project.

Choice 1 : Accept the role with passion.

Choice 2 : Decline politely the role that seems to be too much for now.

Leave at reasonable hours and maintain an equilibrium between work and life.

You seem to notice that your coworkers dislike your habits and early departures, and they start calling you "the lazy economist."

Choice 1 : Avoid the comments of my coworkers and start to use my free time to start focusing on personal projects.

Choice 2 : Start to feel underappreciated by the others.

Start the basic income project.

I am doing a great research by diving deeply into the basic income impact on a society. My report goes worldwide and major economists are now starting to notice me.

Choice 1 : Follow this project with another ambitious project.

Choice 2 : Leave at reasonable hours and maintain an equilibrium between work and life.

Continue throwing parties with my colleague, who already had become my best friend.

As I am continuously throwing parties with my colleague, I simultaneously am less and less concentrated on my career and I start to feel like I need to change something around.

Choice 1 : Quit and start a new career.

Choice 2 : Try to find me another job with better wingspan.

Accept the role with passion.

My new role is key to the firm, but very stressful and demanding. My boss is really appreciative of my work. Now, he offers me a promotion as his assistant.

Choice 1 : Accept the promotion and continue to work longer and harder.

Choice 2 : Decline politely the role that seems to be too much for now.

Decline politely the role that seems to be too much for now.

This was a wise choice. I feel happy into what I am doing, and I am also starting to build a real good life, by saving money and having time to do what I like. In brief, I preach for success. The only thing that is itching me is the fact that I start to fell depreciated by my boss because he wants me to work harder.

Choice 1 : Leave at reasonable hours and maintain an equilibrium between work and life.

Choice 2 : Stay late to impress the boss and give good impression.

Avoid the comments of my coworkers and start to use my free time to start focusing on personal projects.

The comments of my coworkers are redundant, and it is itching me. Nevertheless, I am not someone who lets myself be walked on. Instead of feeling useless, I start to discover new things that I want to spend more time on. I discovered two great talents. The first one being my skiing skills. The second talent being my construction skills.

Choice 1 : Start a professional skiing career.

Choice 2 : Start the on-the-job training (OJT) as a carpenter.

Start to feel underappreciated by the others.

By feeling under evaluated, I start to feel my self-esteem lower by the time.

Choice 1 : Quit and start a new career.

Choice 2 : Continue to push through while waiting for something to change.

Follow this project with another ambitious project.

The project takes all of my energy and time but impresses many economists. I am now invited to present and explain my new findings at an international conference.

Choice 1 : Say yes and get ready to face the public eye.

Choice 2 : Decline the invitation, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

Try to find myself another job with better wingspan.

A well-known firm start to acknowledge my great works, and they start to encourage myself to join them.

Choice 1 : Work for the prestigious consulting firm Proaction International.

Accept the promotion and continue to work longer and harder.

The work charge keeps getting bigger. My success continues to grow in the firm, but I also realize that my stress is growing as fast as my success. Eventually, I burn out.

Choice 1 : Keep working.

Choice 2 : Take a break to recover.

Take a break to recover.

The break paid up, I had time to refocus on myself and my self-esteem. After this break of three months, I am finally renewed and ready to face new projects.

Choice 1 : Quit and start a new career.

Choice 2 : Work for the prestigious consulting firm Proaction International.

Keep working.

While I continue to work on the projects without showing signs of distress to my boss, I start to feel my self-esteem deteriorate. To compensate with all this overwhelming feeling, I start to drink my problems. My life really fell apart.

Choice 1 : Where it all begins.

Start a professional skiing career.

After I started skiing as a hobby in the winter, people started to acknowledge my skill. Team Canada's scouts started to come at the mountain in which I ski, and they started to approach me with a life sealing deal. I could be paid up to $200 000 annually to compete in team Canada's slalom skiing.

Choice 1 : Accept the deal.

Accept the deal.

The deal is sealed. Now, I have to prove myself in the future competitions. Starting my career at a tournament in Switzerland, I proved myself by finishing number one among the other participant. Afterwards, I continued to accumulate many trophies, by finishing my skiing career as one of the most successful skiers in history.

Choice 1 : Where it all begins.

Say yes and get ready to face the public eye.

My presentation is a hit. I am now listed amongst the best economists in the world! My work life is successful, and I am revolutionizing the economic world by lifting new problematics and solving them!.

Choice 1 : Where it all begins.

Decline the invitation, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

My overwhelmed feeling made me miss opportunities. Although there is no going back, I will continue my work in silence.

Choice 1 : Start the basic income project.

Choice 2 : Try to find myself another job with better wingspan.

Continue my debauchery life.

My life fell apart since I've started partying every weekend and even on weeks' nights. This led my boss to fire me. I am now lost : I have no more money or ambition, my life is ruined.

Choice 1 : Where it all begins.

Quit and start a new career.

I am now left with no money and no possibly of having a new scholarship because I didn't finish the payment of the other one. However, I just encountered a construction worker who is willing to offer me an on-the-job training.

Choice 1 : Start the on-the-job training (OJT) as a carpenter.

Continue to push through while waiting for something to change.

Pushing through my hard work paid up! I got an offer of a new major project.

Choice 1 : Stay late to impress the boss and give good impression.

Choice 2 : Leave at reasonable hours and maintain an equilibrium between work and life.

Start the on-the-job training (OJT) as a carpenter.

While learning the basics of a carpenter's job, I realize that this is what I enjoy doing as a living. Plus, I received my first salary, and I acknowledged that it was well-enough paid to surely establish my life.

Choice 1 : Where it all begins.