My friends always laugh and joke around whenever I tell them that I am going in for an interview. "Why do you do it? So that you can turn down another company?" I chuckled a little because there is some truth to that. Okay, maybe not some truth but it is the truth. I've been turning down offers after offers. Call me crazy, but it'll all make sense to you later on. I promise. Anyway, a couple of my friends and my parents have been shaking their heads at my adamant decision, especially since landing a great job right after college is as scarce as finding an awesome and loyal boyfriend. However, there's always a valid reason as to why I have done what I did and I'm about to share with you why. Here are the questions I have asked myself before making the final decision as to whether or not I should take up an offer. This is not only applicable to my career, but also to other areas of my life, so here we go.

1) Will this take me one step closer to where I need to be? If you wanted to be an actor, should you apply to be a bank teller at Wells Fargo? Maybe, but it wouldn't make any sense. However, you might as well take up some bartending lessons (if that's something you've always been interested in), get yourself the license, so now you have income flowing in while still have the flexibility to go on auditions. Win-win.

2) How is the work environment and culture? You want to be a part of a team or company that represents you as much as you represent them. Do they treat their employees well? Is there room for growth and collaboration? Do you agree with their mission statement? For me, it's important to be in a space that has structure as well as transparency.

3) Will I be able to utilize my talents and skill sets? No matter how great the pay is (or maybe this is just me), passion will always come first. I want to be able to see myself loving what I do and doing what I love. The only way I'm able to do good is if I'm able to practice my craft.

4) How are the people? I'm a Communication major. This one is extremely important to me. While I know we're not always going to get along with our bosses or co-workers, I still want to surround myself with people I respect, people I can learn from, and people I can share my ideas with. Yes, showbizz is an extremely lucrative one; however, I've also met enough incredible people to know that there are still those with humility, humbleness, and hunger to achieve.

5) Last but certainly not least, am I settling? I could go on all day and list reasons why you and I should never settle, but then I'll just be rambling about something you already know. The act of settling becomes a habit for a lot of people because it's safe, it's easy, it's effortless. People settle for someone they don't love or who no longer makes them happy due to financial stability or routine. People settle for the first person that chases after them because they like the perks that comes with companionship. People settle for mundane careers because it pays the bill. I've seen this happening to my friends, relatives, strangers, and etc. I've read and heard about these circumstances a million times in the past. Then I'd come across these rare cases when the investment banker moves to a tech start-up company, the lawyer goes back to school and becomes a philosophy professor, and a student who declines admission to Harvard Business School so that he can travel the world and create his own behavior design company. These are true stories from visionaries who are unsettling about being settled. These are the people who constantly strives to break the norms in order to improve on themselves and their works. More than anything, I want to be alongside those people because a person like Khanh is not meant to sleep with the wolves when she is meant to play with the lions. I'm sorry, guys. I love talking about myself in third person every now and then.

Anyway, I just wanted to remind you, my friends, that you are also capable of everything and anything you'd want to be. A surgeon. An artist. A teacher. An engineer. A philanthropist. Whatever it is, it's possible. So never ever settle.

I hope this summarizes why I've been a little bit picky with my career path as well as other things. I have all the trust in the world that the Universe is saving something phenomenal for us and it's only a matter of time until we'll be able to find out what it is.

Until then, take care and as always, Fight On!