IKIGAI is an age-old Japanese ideology that’s long been associated with the nation’s long life expectancy. A combination of the Japanese words “iki”, which translates to “life,” and “gai”, which is used to describe value or worth, ikigai is all about finding joy in life through purpose. In other words, your ikigai is what gets you up every morning and keeps you going.
The best way to really encapsulate the overarching ideology of ikigai is by looking at the ikigai Venn diagram which displays the overlapping four main qualities: what you are good at, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and of course, what you love. Many sociologists, scientists, and journalists have researched and hypothesized the usefulness and truth behind this particular phenomenon, and they’ve come to a number of very interesting conclusions. One particular theory is that ikigai can make you live longer and with more direction.
According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai, a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai , the place where passion, mission, vocation, and profession intersect , means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning.
Let me examine my self through IKIGAI ideology, regarding the Software Engineering degree program and career with the software industry:
Passion
Passion is a feeling of intense enthusiasm towards or compelling desire for someone or something. Passion can range from eager interest in or admiration for an idea, proposal, or cause; to enthusiastic enjoyment of an interest or activity; to strong attraction, excitement, or emotion towards a person. In the IKIGAI ideology, Passion will fall under two categories: What you love and What you are good at.
Software development and Software Engineering is a kind of dream and passion for my self. Personally, I love to spend as much as possible time with computers. I love to create software. In this aspect the Software Engineering degree program is allowing me to prepare and involve my self into my passion.
Profession
A profession is an occupation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested objective counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain. Profession will fall under two categories: What you are good at and What you can be paid for.
As a professional, I want to become a software engineer, possessing needed skills and qualities of a good software engineer. The software engineering degree program provides me an immense support in becoming a good software engineer. Not only the course contents, but also the talk sessions, special interactive sessions with industry people, the extra activities like Realhack help me a lot on developing my skills and qualities to become a successful software engineer at profession.
Vocation
A vocation is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through orientation. Vocation will fall under two categories: What you can be paid for and What the world needs.
For entering into the software engineering industry, there are certain skills, qualities and training a needed. Those will push one self as a good fresh software engineering professional. The degree program gives those needed qualities to me to become a software engineer. The internship program will give me the chance to train myself and prepare myself to become a good software engineer.
Mission
A mission statement is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation. It will well suit for a person too. Every person has a mission in their life. Mission will fall under two categories: What the world needs and What you love.
Personally I have the mission to become a successful person in my life with a good and healthy career in the software engineering industry. To pursue my mission, I need to get the right guidelines and need to be in the right place. The software engineering degree program seems to be the right place for myself without doubt. The degree program offers me the right things and guidelines to pursue my mission.
