Work and careers

Man: Did you hear Tomasz has handed in his notice? He's leaving the practice to retrain as a furniture maker, of all things. Woman: I did. He told me last week over lunch. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised. Man: Really? He's the one they keep putting forward for the big competition entries. Seven years of training, and he's going to walk away from all that to make chairs. Woman: But think about what he actually does all day. Most of his week goes on adjusting drawings to keep planning officers happy, or redrawing things because a client has changed their mind again. He once told me he couldn't remember the last time he'd handled an actual material rather than a screen. People will assume it's a step down, but for him it's a way back to the thing that made him want to be an architect in the first place. Man: I suppose so. Though I'd want a pretty solid plan before giving up a salary like his. Woman: He's got one, actually. He's been going to evening classes for two years. Man: Two years? And none of us noticed. That's slightly embarrassing. I keep saying I'll look into teaching, and every time I get as far as the application form, I talk myself out of it. It isn't the money, really. It's having to stand up in front of everyone here and admit I chose the wrong thing. Woman: Well, maybe Tomasz is proof that you don't have to announce anything until you're ready.