Career Paths...Start at Home (Part 1)
This series of posts are about exploring careers. Besides providing a meaningful, and thus more efficient in the long run, approach to choosing careers, I will also provide some unique career path ideas. Whether you are starting out in college, unhappy in your current job, facing a mid-life career shift, or helping someone who is facing these decisions, I hope to spur some new thoughts in the process.
While there is nothing wrong with choosing a career in the hopes that it will bring financial stability, or basing the decision on how many jobs are currently available in that field, it may not the best method with which to choose a career path. There are people who graduated with a particular degree only to find that they can't stand the actual work environments or duties required of them in that field. There are also people that have found a suitable career emphasis for them, but are using it in an ill-fitting capacity. There are still others who worked in a satisfactory arena for a time, and are now looking for a new idea. From whichever vantage point, the work of choosing a path, starts at home. You will have a hard time deciding where to go from here if you do not understand where you are first.
As someone who excelled in every subject from science to art, history to music, literature to gym, I had a terrible time choosing a career path. It frustrated me that I was expected to choose only one subject area to study when I attended college, and it frustrated me even more that my peers did not seem to have as much trouble deciding on their future career as I was having.
Here is a list of subjects I pursued as potential degrees in college: Spanish, music, art, nursing, equine science, dance, creative writing
Here is my final BA degree: Creative Writing and Equine Science
Here are the jobs I have had since high school: nanny, art camp teacher's aid, clothing store clerk, administrative assistant, receptionist, wedding coordinator, horse farm worker, lab assistant, house cleaner, English as a Second Language teacher's aid, substitute teacher, musician (singing/playing cello) for weddings, artist, animal care technician
Here is my lifelong chosen "career path" which will never change no matter what my day job is: writer, artist, musician
The question of which career one would benefit from pursuing should not start with how practical it is, how much money it makes, or even how many jobs in that field are available. While these are noteworthy considerations in your final decision, I suggest that the first question you should ask is, "Who am I?" Often, upon graduating high school, students struggle with choosing a career, because they have a hard time answering this root question. (You are young, it comes with the territory. I think we never really stop trying to answer that question.) It is more important to ask "Who am I?" before anything else, because no matter how much money a career offers, or how many jobs are available in that field, if you end up hating the work, or you stink at doing the job, then you will probably not be doing that career for long. Or at all. So, don't waste your time or energy (or potential employers') in chasing after something that doesn't make sense for you!
For example**, I am an animal lover, artist-type person, who loves nature. I am an introvert who likes to have a few close friends, but I do enjoy meeting new people in smaller, familiar settings. I am afraid of heights. Handling money is boring. I don't like shopping unless it is for art supplies, jewelry, or presents for friends, and I hate malls. I like to learn constantly and be challenged, but I also enjoy a lot of structure and routine. I am good at organizing and problem solving. I am highly creative. I am physically strong and have a high kinetic learning capability. While I can move gracefully and have good hand-eye coordination, I don't do well at sports because I am not remotely competitive and I am a wimp when it comes to the possibility of getting hurt. Ever since I was a kid, I have spent a lot of time outdoors walking and daydreaming, and playing with animals. I have always pursued art, music, and writing. I read voraciously. I don't mind being dirty and sweaty, but I hate foul odors. I like to work hard, but I am unhappy if I don't have the time or energy left to pursue my artistic endeavors afterwards.
If I had made such a list before heading out in my career search, I would have realized earlier that three or four of those aforementioned jobs I listed would not be pleasant experiences. Some aspects of the career search are simply discovered through trial and error. That is where learning to accept defeat and learning from mistakes are handy traits, but in answering the question about who you are as a person, it becomes clearer what would NOT be a good choice for you. The process of elimination is invaluable.
Now in my 30s, I am finally realizing that I don't WANT to choose just one ultimate day-job career path! I have an insatiable desire to learn, and I learn extremely fast, so it is fun for me to experience many different jobs, just as it was fun for me to study everything from geometry to Japanese in school. I don't like to bounce around too quickly between jobs, because I enjoy a measure of stability, but if the job doesn't provide any more room to learn and grow, it is easy for me to get bored. When I finally chose the subjects I wanted for my degree, it was birthed from much angst and soul-searching. I had to weed out all of the "shoulds, should nots" that were being suggested to me from society and the people around me. I had to think about what made the most sense for me, Laelia, not just in the moment,but also what made sense for the former child-me, and the future me. It made sense to study creative writing and equine science because as a kid, I loved to write and dreamed of becoming a writer someday, and I loved reading. My young self enjoyed precise, active movements like archery, dancing, canoeing and walking; and I adored animals. Since those were things that I continued to enjoy at the time of my decision, and could imagine that I would never cease to enjoy them, studying creative writing and equine science (horse training), suddenly made perfect sense! Not only have I utilized my degree in concrete jobs thus far, but I have never regretted all the time and money I spent on the degree because I studied subjects which are embedded into the fabric of my life. Because it is part of who I am already, it is easy for me to morph these skills and experiences into various positions, thus making my degree work in the real world, despite its odd pairing.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
As a child:
What did you spend your time doing?
What things made you happy?
What things did you hate?
What were you particularly good at doing?
What things did you not do well?
(Ask these same questions for other periods of your life, ie: as a teenager, in your 20s etc, and then find common themes.)
Currently, what kind of spaces or environments do you enjoy?
Which ones make you uncomfortable?
What is your natural pace-not just moving physically, but in thinking, solving problems, living your life?
In what capacity do you like being around people?
What subjects do you enjoy thinking about or studying?
How do you structure your time?
Make a list, or a write out a stream of consciousness, similar to the paragraph** I wrote above. Take some time to notice patterns of behavior and likes/dislikes in yourself. This will help later when we examine how to use this information in choosing particular careers.
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