Do We Choose Our Careers Or Do They Choose Us?

 

Introduction 

Did you always know what you wanted to be when you grew up?  Or was your career track more the result of accidents?   

 

I've always been interested in not only what people did for a living, but how they got there (or stumbled into it).  It's a myth that we should always know what we want to be.  Few do.  Most of us evolve over time, and so does our dream job. 

 

I think many of us find a job or career path that may not have been our first choice, but we end up making the best of it.   

 

What's the difference between a job and a career?  How do we choose our jobs/careers?  Is it worth it to follow your dreams?  

 

Job vs. Career 

A job usually requires a specific set of skills and is often considered short-term.  A career is the accumulation of several jobs and experiences.  It usually requires more education and training than a job, and it’s something you want to pursue long-term.  A job can be enjoyable, but a career is more fulfilling as it often involves your passions and matches your personality type. (What's the Difference Between a Job and a Career?)  

 

How Do We Choose Our Careers? 

According to CareerExplorer (How Do People Actually Choose a Career?) the three main ways that people choose a career are: 

1. By accident – This is probably the most common way people enter a career - "being in the right place at the right time".  The randomness involved in many of our career paths is astonishing.  For example getting a job lead from a friend or family member or networking. 
2. Through apathy – It's kind of ridiculous to expect an immature 18-year-old to decide on a lifelong career when most of us don't even know who we are yet.  Some will keep going back to school rather than make a decision.  Others will take a job just so they can make a living.  And many stay in unsuitable jobs because it's easier than changing. 
3. Through social pressure – Parents (#1) and friends (#2) tend to be the go-to resources for career advice.  But then we are limited by their biases and experiences.  Chances are they will steer you to jobs and careers that are safe and acceptable, and not necessarily a good fit for you.  

To find a career that fits you have to either: 

1. get lucky with your accidental career, or 
2. engage in proactive planning. 

Eventually I got bored and restless enough to choose option 2. 

 

Personal Experience 

I won't bore you with all the details of my career trajectory, but here are some highlights:   

• As a child I wanted to be a zoologist and save the animal kingdom like Dr. Tracy on the Daktari TV show.  That lasted until I encountered organic chemistry in college. 
• I had to come up with a new major fast, and the best I could do was history.  At the time I was watching a made for TV movie about John F. Kennedy starring Martin Sheen, and found it interesting.  (As you can see, in my youth TV had a greater influence on me than my more practical parents.) 
• Turns out my parents were right and there are no jobs for history majors (with a film studies minor), so I ended up going back to school for a paralegal certificate (my mom's idea). 
• I got a paralegal job in a local law firm thinking, "I'll give it a year".  I ended up staying for 35 ½ years.  I never saw that coming. 
• I was a paralegal for about 12 years, but I didn't think of it as a career.  It was just something to do until I found my true calling.  Eventually (after a series of random events) I figured out that I wanted to be a librarian.  Back to school I went. 
• Fortunately for me there was an open librarian position at my law firm, so I didn't even have to give up my 4 weeks vacation.  Other than my psychotic boss, I liked being a law librarian.  (No job is perfect.)  I liked it even better when the psychotic boss retired and I became the boss (minus the psychopathy).  
• Eventually the party ended and I got a new department and a new boss.  She wasn't psychotic, but after years of no boss, I found I really didn't like taking orders again.  Retirement beckoned.  A part of me had always wanted to be a writer... 

To answer my previous questions:  Yes, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.  But I was wrong.  I'd say my career path was a combination of accidents, circumstances and deliberate choice.  I found my first calling (librarian) in my 30's.  I found my second calling (writer) in my 50's.  Who knows what I'll find next. 

 

I do believe your attitude can make all the difference in whether you like your job or not.  I've done jobs that were just for pay, where the best part was bonding with co-workers.  The work itself was unfulfilling, to say the least.   

 

So yes, I do think it's worth it to follow your dreams if you can.  But you also need to be practical and have some money coming in, or at least saved up.   

 

Not everyone is looking for a fulfilling career though.  Some just want a high paying job so they can have an extravagant lifestyle.  And some people find their life's purpose in their personal life rather than through a career.   

 

I always wanted a career.  I was fortunate to find two that gave me joy.   

 

If you could have any career, what would it be?