You Don't Have To Be What You Have Always Been

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love listening to clients and their stories. I especially enjoy listening to client stories about the path to their present job title. Did you start out wanting to be a _____________ (whatever job title is on your current / most recent) business card? Maybe you did and maybe you didn’t. It is always interesting and intriguing to listen to clients’ responses when I ask them:

So, what did you want to be in middle school? And in high school?

In college, technical, or vocational school?

What prompted you to choose your major (and minor) while pursuing your college degree?

The responses I get to the above questions vary as widely as the client population I serve:

My dad is a ___(job title)______________, so that’s what my parents wanted me to be.

My aunt is a ____________________, and I always admired her.

My teacher told me to look into this.

My mother told me to be a __________________.

My guidance counselor said this would be a good field to get into.

My grandmother encouraged me to pursue this career.

My best friend wanted to be a _________________, and I wanted to do what she did.

I knew I could get through school in four years so I chose this major to keep the debt down.

I didn’t know what else to choose.

I looked online and it was a “hot” career to get into.

I have no idea why I picked this major.

If you find yourself in the midst of a career change, perhaps it would be helpful to review how you got to here – to the job title you are now. And, if by chance, you no longer want “to be” the title touted on your business card, there is no better time than now to begin the process of making a career transition.

It’s never too late to be what you might have been.
– George Eliot

cross-posted billiesucher blog

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