Jim

When I first moved to London, Jim and I lived together. We both did lots of work experience - that is working for no money - me in TV, him in the music industry. Now, I am nearly a doctor and he is a hot shot in...the music industry.

Last night he told me that he was torn between pushing on and becoming an Alan McGee style svengali and kicking back, taking work easy, and enjoying all the other things in life. The former would require him to go to gigs 24/7, take on as much work as possible, generally step up. The latter would entail nothing more than relaxing his foot from the gas pedal.

But when does he make that choice? Do we ever know when we are actually making these kind of choices, or do they just sort of happen inevitably driven by a mixture of our character and circumstances beyond our control?

Jim loves to cook. He loves to spend time with his girlfriend, to read the papers and drink coffee on a Saturday morning, to grow vegetables in his garden and watch the Leicester Tigers play rugby. But he also loves his job, and he really could be another McGee. He is in position to become such a man, a man of influence and respect, an innovator.

He told me about the necessary sacrifices and compromises he would have to make either way, and from the way he talked, it seemed to me that he already knows which way his career will go. He is ambitious and brilliant, but he loves to be at home. Perhaps the decision has already been made for him.