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The trajectories of our life and career journeys can be straightforward, or they can be convoluted, with many sharp turns, nooks and crannies, and detours along the way. The changes and challenges that life has in store for us can be great. What matters most is that they eventually lead to a happy and fulfilled life – and not just in career terms. The following stories of personalities from among AMU graduates illustrate this statement.
Jan Pěruška is not just a graduate of the Stringed Instruments Department at HAMU where he studied violin: he has also graduated in journalism, and this career direction eventually prevailed, so he currently makes his living as a football match commentator and sports programme anchor on the radio and two commercial TV channels. “When it came to violin, I always felt that I was lagging behind the best at all times, and I most likely wasn’t good enough to pursue a high-profile solo career. In turn, I felt that although I was just a beginner in sports journalism at age 21, I could actually make it a success. I believed I was able to make it, and it was eventually confirmed,” the current sports journalist explains how he got to switch jobs. This is not to say he began to hate violin, however, and when an opportunity comes along, he will occasionally reach for it and plays a concert. “I just don’t make my living doing that,” Jan explains and stresses that studying at the conservatory and then at HAMU has equipped him with essential life experience. “I think I can cope with criticism better. I noticed that when I was admitted to the journalistic programme and our first written output was subjected to criticism: many of my new schoolmates took issue with how their work was critically assessed and had problems dealing with the realisation that they may have done something not quite right. While playing a musical instrument, I would face being corrected very early – if you’re attending a lesson, criticism can come your way even before you finish playing the first line. The instrument has taught me humility. I’m used to the scenario where I don’t get something exactly right the first time. I can tell myself: ‘Okay, good – so what do I do to make it better the next time?’” notes Jan Pěruška and adds that this is one of the skills that studying at AMU has given him, which also comes in handy in his current job and teamwork. What are the benefits of pursuing multiple activities at once? “Whether performing in concert occasionally or speaking to a microphone at work, I’m constantly having fun. I love speaking about sports and preparing for commenting matches. When I play in concert, I love people enjoying it. That is very satisfying. I find that I may have already lost some of the ability for diligent, tedious work, such as when you are honing one page of an etude to perfection for two hours at HAMU. These days, I guess I prefer the job that I do every day now, in the sense that the result of my work is visible and/or audible very quickly,” concludes Jan Pěruška.
