IELTS Cambridge 17 Essay: Taking Risks in Professional and Personal Lives

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

Some would argue that taking risks, both in terms of one’s private life and one’s working career, is advantageous overall. I am generally in agreement with this contention due to the potential for advancement and growth.

Firstly, risk-taking can expedite one’s career goals. Many workers decide early on that they are content with their position in society and therefore often fail to actualize their potential. Others, however, attempt various business enterprises and transition from field to field in order to find a good match. Although this may lead to short-term setbacks, in the long-term such ambitious individuals are far more likely to become very successful in life. Assuming that these risks are taken early in one’s career, there is a strong likelihood that they will eventually profit the risk-taker in question.

Moreover, an individual who takes risks will also develop more mature personal relationships. In more conservative countries, many young people do not begin to have serious romantic relationships until after university. The result of this is that they are often immature and it can lead to poor and naive choices in terms of marriage and parenting. In contrast, a person who takes risks in their personal life and enters into various relationships throughout high school and university will become a better judge of character. Their allegedly risky behavior can then serve as the foundation for personal growth and increased maturity.

In conclusion, taking risks can be a catalyst for tremendous growth and is therefore advisable. The disadvantages of risk-taking can also be mitigated in most contexts by not being inordinately reckless.