Negotiating your career path

 I have been teaching mostly seniors for the past 12 years.  For much of the school year, they are obsessed with what college they want to attend.  This is stressful for most students, and when they finally make the decision, they feel a sense of relief.  This lasts only for a second, as the next question is what’s your major. 

When I walked into my first college class, my career goal was to be a professional gambler.  I remember telling a female friend of mine this aim, and her response was, “Phil, you have to grow up sometime.” As the college years went on, I switched from wanting to be a gambler to aspiring to become a college basketball coach.  When I told this same friend, her reply was, “Still a dreamer.”  

When I graduated college and took a job with Domino’s Pizza, my father’s first reaction was, “You went to college to make pizzas?”  Years later, when I left the corporate world to pursue my true passion of teaching, my dad chipped in with, “Can you support a family with what teachers make?” 

My point is that most of us do not know what we want to do at a young age.  If all my seniors went home and told their parents that they were going to get married next week, most parents would object.  You hardly know the person, you are too young, and maybe you should wait a while.  If we don’t expect teenagers to know with whom they are going to live the rest of their life, why do we expect them to know what job they want to do for the rest of their life? 

College should be about exploring, not building a resume.  Take some classes that interest you. If you still like them, maybe try an internship.  When you graduate, find a job you think you can be passionate about.  If that job doesn’t work out, find another.  You don’t continue to date a person you don’t like, so why stick to a job you aren’t passionate about? 

When I moved from job to job, I often thought that I was wasting my life away.  Now, I realize that if I didn’t chase those dreams, I might not have found my true passion, which is teaching.  I always thought my one strength as a teacher is that I love to come to work every day.  How many people can say that? 

Therefore, the challenge to all of us is to allow our kids the chance to find their place.  Stop trying to pigeonhole them into something they are not sure they want to do. 

I will end with one of my favorite sayings:  Life is messy.  Get used to it.  That is what makes the journey worthwhile.