Felix (Forge your own path)

Written By Felix Hinsch

In 2017, I quit my job in IT with a German company that I had worked with for 5 years and went to Australia for a work and travel year. I know, very cliche, only that I was not coming out of school, but was already established in a corporate job that I hated with a passion. It was destroying me, and every day felt like torture. Endless hours in front of a PC with nothing to look at but numbers in a spreadsheet and loading screens.

Australia showed me what life and nature have to offer, and that I had to change my career path. Travelling reveals hidden truths that you are unable to see in your current environment. Going back after growing so much was not an option. I challenge everyone to go and travel on their own if they are interested in growing and discovering themselves.

I was always fascinated with the ocean and spent a lot of my childhood in the water and had many holidays by the sea, so I was naturally drawn to the water in Australia. A thought that I had buried under the expectations and the pressure of society surfaced again with me: I want to be a marine biologist, to dive and explore the oceans, and to protect the marine environment. My whole life, I had been told I can’t dive because of my asthma, doctors told me it is not safe, and my lungs are not capable. Of course, I was following suit and did the only responsible thing after my year abroad: I went straight to Indonesia to get SCUBA certified.

Now, somewhat 250 dives later, I am a SCUBA and freediving instructor. I can hold my breath for a significant amount of time, and the doctor doing my dive medicals compliments me on my lung health. Ironic how things can change if you just follow your gut. I’m not saying that you should jump into the water without listening to your doctor; that would be foolish advice. I hadn’t had symptoms for years and just did what felt right to me. Was I taking a risk? Yes, definitely. Was it worth it? More than anything I ever did.

Fast forward to being back in Germany after my gap year. I immediately started my studies to get a bachelor’s degree in biology. In Germany, you need a bachelor’s degree to study marine biology. My degree flew by, and I worked hard. My grades in school were mediocre at best, but my grades in my bachelor’s were excellent. This continued through my master’s too, and almost six years later, I held my master’s diploma in my digital hands! I was already working in shark conservation in South Africa when I finished my degree, and never touched the physical version until a year later.

Working in conservation for an NGO taught me a big lesson that I wasn’t prepared for. People don’t really care for science and data. Most don’t want to listen to facts or don’t believe in them anyway. It was incredibly frustrating. I still think science is amazing and we owe almost all achievements we made as a species to science; it’s just not the right tool to move people and invoke change. My goal of protecting animals wasn’t going to be achieved by understanding why a species’ population was declining or which protection measures were needed to ensure survival. I needed to reach people, to touch them and make them change because they want to, not because someone told them something they do is bad.

So here I am, 32 years old, having a degree that I don’t really want to use. Trying to find out what is the best way to tell good stories and invoke empathy for all the beautiful animals we share this planet with.

For more of Felix, check out @felix.hinsch on Instagram