What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question we ask kids all the time. Their answers are ever changing based on whatever holds their interest at the moment. My five year old has almost always wanted to be something that involves working with animals. I mean, the kid watches National Geographic for entertainment. That being said, he has recently changed course and now wants to be a DJ, specifically one that performs in both New York City and Australia. I love asking kids this question because their answers are pure and not over thought. How often do we ask ourselves the same thing?
If you are someone who is lucky enough to be in your niche, then good for you, but you don’t have to stay there. For a lot of us, we watched our parents grow up with the same job for 40+ years with no discussion of moving elsewhere, no matter how miserable they were. It seems as though millennials are changing that. It is estimated that millennials will change jobs 15 times within their career. Now some of that will be promotions or lateral movements within the same company, but 15 job changes as an adult seems like a lot.
Do I think I’ll switch career paths 15 times in my life? I hope not, because I don’t like change that much. Do I think I’ll be doing this exact same thing in the exact same place until I retire? Also, no. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. But I also know that we, as people, are ever evolving. I ask myself regularly what I want to be when I grow up and, at 31, I still have not come up with a concrete answer. I know I love connecting with people so I believe that will always be an aspect of my job, but I don’t believe I will be doing it in the same capacity until I retire.
How do we decide what we want to do? There are all kinds of companies willing to take your money, ask you questions and tell you what you should be doing based on your strengths. If you have the ability to go that route, do it. If for no other reason than to hear someone say good things about you, it’s fun to take a test you can’t fail. But for those of us who can’t afford to spend thousands on internet quizzes, we just have to give it the old fashioned trial and error.
This is where things get tricky. It’s so hard to jump and try to do new things if we don’t know if we’re going to like it or not. Will I be successful? Will I enjoy it? What if I fail? All valid questions, all horrible reasons not to try something. And this is coming from someone with a crippling fear of failure.
The most important thing is that we never stop growing and learning about ourselves. As humans, we are ever evolving beings. Don’t be afraid to make changes. Whatever it is you do, be sure you’re doing good things.
Jo is a Mess 