Describe a person you know who changed their career

I'd like to talk about my uncle Eldor, who changed his career when he was thirty-eight. For about fifteen years he worked as a bank manager in Tashkent. It was a respectable and well-paid job, and everyone in the family considered him a success. However, he told me several times that he felt something was missing.

What he does now is quite different. He's a primary school teacher in the city of Bukhara. He discovered that he enjoyed explaining things when he volunteered to run free maths workshops for local children at weekends. Within a year, he decided to leave the bank, completed a teaching certificate, and began working at a school. His salary dropped by almost half, and he had to move to a smaller flat.

He decided to switch for a few reasons. Firstly, he felt unfulfilled. He spent his days dealing with figures and meetings that, in his words, did not matter to anyone. Secondly, the volunteer work showed him how much he enjoyed seeing children understand something for the first time. And finally, he realised that if he did not try it then, he never would.

I have great respect for his decision. It was a real leap of faith, and not everyone supported him; his own father was against it at first. But today he looks happier than ever, and his pupils adore him. He has shown me that money is not the only measure of success. When I choose my own career, I'll certainly think about what makes me feel useful, not just what pays well.