What Should I do With My Life? (A writeup for Employee Evolution)
May 10, 2007 | by brett | Permalink
(This is a post I did for Employee Evolution, a site that helps our young generation answer the hard-hitting questions that come with career transitions.)
Half of the American work force is satisfied with their job, while the other half dreads reporting to a job they hate, working for a boss they can’t stand. As a senior at the University of Arizona, I was determined to join the group passionate about their work. But the biggest obstacle that stood in my way was that I did not know how to get to where I wanted to be, or for that matter, what I should do with my life.
“What should I do with my life” is a question on the minds of many students and young professionals because it’s a damn good question. You just spent four, five, six years in school and now you’re expected to answer it. You have parents pressuring you, friends and colleagues off to undoubtedly successful starts to long careers, and then you have your situation. I’m here to tell you not to worry. Not everyone has their life figured out at our age. In fact, no one really has it figured out.
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Last summer I ventured on a cross country roadtrip to interview successful people who LOVE their careers. I wanted to talk with these extraordinary individuals about the path that they pursued so I could develop an idea of which path I should pursue. The single most important thing that I took away from 75 interviews and 3 months of grassroots roadtrip travel was that at 22 years old, I didn’t have to figure it out.
One of my interviews was with University of Arizona head basketball coach Lute Olson. At 21, he was pumping gas and cleaning grease bays in a job that required him to work the graveyard shift so he could pursue his love for education. Another was with Barry Moltz, who a week before college graduation did not have a job, accepted a position with IBM because he didn’t have anything to do the following Monday, and nine years later transitioned out of the corporate world to enjoy a successful career in entrepreneurship. Then there were seventy-three other people I talked with that all shared the common characteristic of not having life completely solved when coming out of college…if they even had the opportunity to attend college.
The point is that life takes too many twists and turns to decide right now what you want to do forever. It’s just not possible. The only thing we can do is accept that fact, and have a determination to one day join the “better” half of the workforce by loving our work. It’s about the evolution, like this site preaches, and progressively working your way to pursuing your passion once that drive develops.
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