07.17.09
A Sure Thing
I met with a young client who just completed his master’s degree and he feels just as unsure now about what he wants to do for a living as he did when he started the program.
Oh, he’s learned a number of skills and feels immensely smarter than he did two years ago. In fact, he has learned so much and has found so many things that interest him that he can’t figure out where to start.
He came to me for a reality check. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t the only person to spend six years in college and still not know what he wants to be when he grows up.
“By this point in my career, should I be sure?” he asked. “Is something wrong with me for not being sure?”
Well, whoever coined the phrase, “There’s no such thing as a sure thing,” must have known what many of us have discovered over time: Even when you think you’re sure, things can change. And not being sure to begin with is something lots of people go through, regardless of whether they are willing to admit it.
I asked the student if he was in a hurry to decide. He said he had a supportive family, no debt and relatives with family businesses he could work in if push came to shove. With the sense of urgency out of the way, I asked him what really turned him on.
There were two or three things at the top of his list. We then proceeded to brainstorm ways he could pursue one or all of these passions to create his dream job – or at least something he would be comfortable doing while he figured out what might be his dream job.
He has plenty of tools. He has a master’s degree, so teaching is always an option. He is a good writer, a photographer and understands the Internet and social media. His undergraduate background was in history, so he knows how to use research. He loves to travel and has done so extensively.
Little by little, we chipped away at short-term and long-term ideas, what he could do at this moment to create some freelance income, how to identify alternatives and how not to panic that he doesn’t have a game plan completely drawn up.
It’s okay not to know what you want. What’s not okay is not to try anything because you’re afraid it will be the wrong thing.
No matter how old you are, it’s okay to try something and drop it if it’s not working for you. Now, if you’re responsible for the rent/mortgage, caring for children or parents, etc., you know you have to ensure a basic income, but it doesn’t mean you can’t develop side jobs or freelance opportunities to test the waters. If you’re pursuing a passion it’s more than a second job. It’s a chance to see if you can make a go of something you really want to do.
You can work a regular job and make jewelry on the weekends, paint, sell baked goods, etc. You can find ways to finance a return to school without plunging into debt with loans, etc.
Fear is your biggest enemy. It can stop you from trying something because the one thing trying can’t promise you is certain success. But the fact that you make the attempt is success in and of itself. So many people haven’t figured out how to give themselves permission to act. Once you give yourself the freedom to go for it, you’ve already accomplished something major.
And that, my friends, is a sure thing.
