I Wanted to Colonize Mars
I suspect if people chose their careers based on what they want to do versus what they want to be, turnover would not be a thing. Well, in any case, not a thing like it is today.
I've been in the people business for a long time. Over the years, I've found that a couch is far more useful in my office than the standard executive conference table. Contrary to what you may imagine, many employees seem to think HR is a confessional where they can declare their sins (stay tuned for upcoming posts), secrets, and disappointments and leave with absolution. One of the most common employee complaints is the often cavernous gap between their expectations of their dream jobs and the harsh realities of their everyday.
We tend to decide very early in life and with very little practical world experience what we want to be, especially if the chosen path is one of the traditional professions, e.g. doctor, lawyer, etc. We think we understand what those jobs are about and we certainly like the lifestyle that comes with them. Cue the fast-forward time warp music and jump 15 years ahead where those same doctors and lawyers are jumping ship for completely different careers. But why? Because they pursued their path based on what they wanted to be, not what they wanted to do.
I may as well go ahead and confess, My name is Wendy and I'm a lawyer. Hence, I know from decades in the people business and through personal experience that most people pursue what they'd like to be, not what they like to do when they grow up. To drive home my point, I'll pick on my own profession. Lawyers leave the profession at an alarming rate considering the grueling process it takes to become one. Liz Brown, author of Life After Law: Finding Work You Love with the J.D. You Have, said in her book, "Law is the only career I know that has a sub-profession dedicated to helping people get out of it." Yep. Pretty crazy, but then, actually not so crazy.
When I talk to young people that want to become lawyers, the most frequently stated reason is: I like to argue. Classic answer. Their opinions about what a lawyer does are derived from TV dramas depicting gripping courtroom scenes with high-stakes and brilliant legal arguments. In fact though, some sources indicate that only 2% of cases now proceed to trial. That means 98% of cases are resolved through other means like mediation, arbitration, settlement, etc., which involve entirely different skill sets. Don't get me wrong, a competent attorney must always be skilled at arguing, it just takes a much less glamorous form than the TV version.
Successful lawyers must be sharp strategists, enjoy detail and research, have incredible writing skills (for drafting briefs, motions, etc.), exercise superior interpersonal skills (with clients, opposing counsel, experts, judges, etc.), be astute negotiators, and have an unshakable work ethic. What lawyers actually do all day is quite a departure from what Ben Matlock, Jack McCoy or Ally McBeal have shown us. So many lawyers leave the profession because their expectations were far different from their actual everyday experience. They failed to comprehend the tremendous number of hours they would work, the nearly unbearable pressure from multiple directions, the inherently adversarial nature of the work, the lack of control over their work schedules and style, and the sheer boredom of dealing with tedious documents, statutes and endless research. They didn't understand that most lawyering occurs behind a desk.
So what will increase your odds of making a good career decision? Consider what you'd enjoy doing all day, every day. Here are some tips to help you focus on what you like to do:
Open your world. Go places. Do things. Pursue experiences. This will vastly improve your judgment.
Whittle. Try many different things that interest you. Keep track of the things you like and dislike about your experiences, i.e. I like structure or I prefer a more casual atmosphere and approach to work. Whittle down your list to must haves and no ways then compare them with career tracks that most closely meet your needs.
Brutal Honesty. Be brutally honest with yourself. If you like money (a must have), the life of a starving artist may not suit you. It may just mean that you need to seek a way to be creative in a high-paying position, think running a marketing department where you are involved in creative branding, etc., but that allows you a healthy paycheck.
Embrace evolution. I had the great fortune of taking a very unique pre-employment assessment early in my career. The assessment spit out a graphic along with a narrative about the candidate's projected career trajectory. The assessor said she'd never seen my graphic before. It was an upward spiral. The narrative suggested that I would change careers entirely several times (8 X was the prediction) in my life. The assessment indicated that I would get bored once I'd mastered a field and that I'd feel compelled to move on to another challenge. I was glad to have that insight upfront. It made me feel like less of a flake as I worked my way up the spiral. It's okay to evolve. We're allowed to get smarter and to learn throughout our lives. Learning will always change you. It's sort of the point of knowledge.
Ignore job qualifications. That's right, I said it. I'll probably be thrown out of my HR associations for saying that, but there you have it. I ignored job qualifications for at least the first 10 years of my career and it has never failed to be the right decision. Be bold. Go for it. All anyone can tell you is no. As one of my colleagues often says, "What are they going to do? Take away your birthday?" In truth, I hate that saying, but the point is unmistakable and the phrase sticks with you kind of like that adhesive you can never remove from those inconveniently placed price stickers on the sole of new shoes. If you like the look or sound of a job, go for it and convince the hiring manager that he/she should give you a shot. Then do great things.
When I was little, my sister Karen and I were going to be the first women to colonize Mars. It was our dream. Turns out though that I kind of hate math, cramped spaces, oxygen-deprived environments and the idea of sharing the aforementioned cramped space with multiple roommates not of my choosing. Also, I sincerely dig real food and gravity. Obviously, my dream was based on what I thought I wanted to be and not at all based on what I enjoy doing on a daily basis. Choose wisely. And if you find that you didn't choose wisely, choose again.
