The biggest risk I've taken was leaving a stable job as a bank clerk in Accra to study graphic design full-time. That was four years ago, when I was twenty-six.
I'd been at the bank for three years, and on paper it was a great job: a decent salary, health insurance and a clear path to promotion. My parents were very proud of it. But I spent every evening and weekend designing posters and logos for friends' small businesses, and I felt alive only when I was doing that. During the day I felt like I was counting the hours.
I decided to take the risk after a conversation with an older colleague who was about to retire. He told me that his biggest regret was never trying to become an architect, and I remember thinking, I don't want to say that in thirty years. I'd saved enough money to survive for about a year if I was careful, and I was accepted on a design course at a college in the city. My parents were not happy. My father didn't speak to me properly for weeks.
It turned out well, but not immediately. The first year was hard; I shared a room with two other students, ate a lot of rice and beans, and doubted myself constantly. But I built a portfolio, and in my final year, a branding agency offered me an internship, which became a full-time job. Now I'm earning more than I did at the bank. More importantly, I feel that my life is my own. Even my father now shows people my designs on his phone.