There’s this myth in our society that once you choose a path – once you get that degree, once you start that career – you’re essentially locked in for life.
It’s as if people believe that the universe has some kind of a non-compete clause that prevents you from exploring different domains of human experience and achievement.
And let me tell you, my friends, this is complete nonsense.
The idea that you must stick with your initial choice is not only false, it’s actively harmful.
It keeps people trapped in careers they’ve outgrown, in industries that no longer fulfill them, and in lives that feel increasingly like someone else’s story.
The single most reliable indicator that you’re on the wrong path is that persistent feeling that you’re living according to someone else’s script.
Think about it: Who exactly decided that your 18-year-old self should have the final word on what you’ll do for the next 50 years of your life?
That’s crazy when you actually consider it.
The version of you who chose that major or that first job was working with a fraction of the information, experience, and self-knowledge that you possess right now.
So why would you outsource your life’s direction to a 18 year old – what is essentially a less-informed version of yourself?
Now, let me be clear about something. Domains don’t matter. What I mean by this is that the artificial boundaries we’ve created between different fields of work and knowledge are just that – artificial.
They’re human constructions, not cosmic laws.
You can cross these boundaries. You’re allowed to.
In fact, some of the most innovative and impactful work in human history has happened precisely at the intersection of different domains.
Consider Demis Hassabis, the founder of DeepMind, which was bought by Google. Deepmind created the AI system that defeated the world champion at Go.
Now did you know that Hassabis was originally a chess prodigy and video game designer?
He didn’t start out in AI research.
He studied computer science, then designed award-winning video games, then earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience, before finally founding one of the most groundbreaking AI companies in the world.
His varied background wasn’t a liability – it was his superpower.
He brought insights from game design and neuroscience into artificial intelligence, creating something revolutionary precisely because he wasn’t constrained by the traditional boundaries of any one field.
Now, one of the most subtle way we get trapped in domains is through “sunk cost fallacy.”
It’s the mistaken belief that because you’ve already invested time, money, or effort into something, you need to keep going with it.
“I’ve already spent four years getting this degree, so I have to use it.”
“I’ve already worked ten years in this industry, so I can’t leave now.”
But here’s the thing: that time is already gone. It’s sunk.
The only relevant question is: “What’s the best use of my time going forward?”
And sometimes – quite often, actually – the answer is to pivot, to change, to explore something new.
Listen to me carefully. The most successful people I know personally and professionally – and I mean truly successful, not just financially but in terms of fulfillment and impact – have almost all changed domains at least once in their lives.
They’ve jumped from marketing to sales, from engineering to entrepreneurship, from law to non-profit work.
And what they’ll tell you, almost universally, is that they didn’t abandon their previous experience – they transmuted it.
They carried the insights, the skills, the perspectives from their former domain into their new one, and that cross-pollination is precisely what made them exceptional.
See, the thing is, you are not a tree. You can move. You can uproot yourself and plant yourself somewhere else.
And unlike a tree, you won’t die in the process – you’ll grow in ways you never even anticipated.
Now, I’m not saying this is easy. Changing domains often involves risk, uncertainty, and temporary discomfort.
You might have to take a pay cut initially. You might have to humble yourself and be a beginner again.
You might have to face the judgment of others who don’t understand why you’re “throwing away” your established career.
But let me ask you this: What’s the alternative?
Spending the next 20, 30, 40 years doing something that doesn’t light you up inside, all because of a decision you made when you barely even knew yourself?
That’s not wisdom in my opinion.
Life is short. Painfully, shockingly short. And the older you get, the more you realize this fundamental truth.
We have maybe 30,000 days on this planet if we’re lucky. 30,000 days, that’s it.
How many of those days do you want to spend following a path you chose before you had any real understanding of who you are and what matters to you?
Do you understand? Your degrees, your certifications, your job titles – these are tools, not identities.
They’re means to an end, not the end itself. The moment you start seeing them as immutable aspects of who you are, you’ve trapped yourself in a cage of your own making.
In the end, here’s what I want you to remember: Domains don’t matter.
What matters is that you’re growing, learning, creating, contributing.
What matters is that you’re engaged with your work in a way that feels authentic and makes you feel alive.
If changing domains is what it takes to achieve that, then for God’s sake, change domains.
The universe doesn’t care about your resume’s consistency nearly as much as you think it does.
