Your Career is a Journey, Not a Direct Flight. Enjoy Yourself.

Deciding on a career was not easy for me. Even using the word “deciding” in this context seems a little silly because I think my career chose me, and not the other way around. (Not to mention that my career seems to be a moving target, constantly evolving.)

When I was in college, and more so the closer I got to graduation, one of my biggest concerns was finding a job that I enjoyed. I had heard stories about people going all the way through medical school or law school, only to find out when they finally started practicing that they didn’t find the actual work fulfilling. I did not want that to be me.

To avoid this fate, I “tried out” multiple careers while I was still in school. I was a Biology major, so this meant I spent some time working in a research lab trying to breed mice resistant to a type of E. Coli, doing Ecology field work in the Mojave Desert studying parasitic mistletoe, and even an internship in epidemiology at the LA County Department of Injury and Violence Prevention. These were all valuable experiences, and I do not regret a thing, but by the time I was graduating, I was only more confused. I had successfully eliminated many options, but felt no closer to discovering what I was truly meant to be.

Looking back, I could have saved myself a whole lot of angst and worry by letting go of the notion that there was one “right” path for me. Like everything in those days, I attacked my job search like I was studying for a test. If I did enough work, if I put in my time, I would come up with the right answer. But there is no right answer. There is no one answer. You can’t avoid missteps and backtracks when it comes to your career, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Instead of trying to mitigate all risk and planning for every contingency, accept that there are some things outside of your control. Have a strategy, but make it flexible enough to adjust to the unexpected bumps — and opportunities! — that will inevitably come your way.

In the 17 years since I have graduated college, I have earned a living as an organic farm inspector and technical reviewer, as a waitress, a scientist, and a marketer of all kinds of software. I have managed people, held dance parties in my office, started several businesses. I have traveled around the world for work, and visited Chile and Japan as part of my education. I have met so many wonderful people, which more than makes up for the occasional nightmare boss. I have had days full of inspiration and passion, and other days when I felt absolutely miserable and lost. It has been a winding road, my friends.

My point is, there is no way I could have foretold any of this. While it was happening, I could not see how each seemingly distinct and random experience led to other opportunities. No experience was wasted.

My hope for you is to have your own amazing career journey. Try not to get waylaid by fear. Strike out there and follow your heart to find work that you love. It will lead you to wilder places than you can imagine.