So, ask yourself:
"How the hell did I get to where I am today?"
It's probably not an easy question to answer, or at least it's probably not a short answer, even if you can. Some people can do this quite lucidly in fact: chart the path of their lives, right from childhood. They had a clear vision and set their lives on a path at an early age. They've known exactly what they want, and since then, it's just been a matter of ticking the boxes off the list of have to's they created to make sure they would get there. For those people, their very existence reads like a roadmap to success that they've carried with them throughout their life. Once in a while they stop to unroll it to make sure they're on course. Sometimes new goals are added and others are replaced, but rarely does the map change drastically nor is the destination recharted.
I know people like this. It's awesome to see them reaching milestones and achievements you know they've had in their sights their whole life. I applaud these people and revel in their conviction and focus. Maybe you know someone like this too.
Maybe you're even one of them.
Your interests and even the games you liked to play as a child rolled seemlesly into the books you read and clubs you joined in adolescence. By middle school you were thinking about high school, and by high school you were selecting courses that would look good on your transcript. Not only did you learn but from an early age, you had already learned how to learn, which we all know is the key to success in higher education.
You steam-rolled through your diploma, knowing exactly what marks you would need to get into that exact program at that exact school. Of course you applied to a couple of other universities as back-ups but you knew you'd get your first choice. And why not? They'd have been crazy not to take you.
Every summer, between terms at school, you found a job that would fit perfectly on your resume, giving you a leg-up on those other future successful colleagues.
You look back on university with nothing but fondness. For you, it was a walk in the park, and your marks showed it. You had a blast because success is fun, and you were very very successful.
Graduate school was there waiting for you at the end of your degree: a brand new experience, yet still somehow familiar; like a penpal you'd had for years but were finally meeting face to face. Of course it was challenging but in a stimulating way. The stress was manageable because you already knew how it was going to turn out. Plus, your accomplishments had already caught the eye of a few companies and recruiters along the way, taking the pressure off almost completely.
So, with school in your rear view mirror you exploded into the open job market. Brimming with natural (and justifiable) confidence in your abilities, you landed a great role and even turned down a few others. You've changed tracks a few times, taking a few calculated risks but you've never had to veer from your map. Now you find yourself exactly where you always knew you'd be.
Life is never a perfectly straight path but you planned yours well enough to always keep it pointed in the same direction: straight forward.
Or.
Maybe you're not that person. Maybe you never had that crystal clear vision of what your life would be like. Maybe you never really had a calling. Did you know what you'd be doing when you're 40? How about 30?
If not, it's okay!
There are a lot of people like you. It's okay to have a job and not a career. It's okay to graduate with a degree you'll never use. It's even fine if you decided not to finish your degree at all, especially if you weren't going to use it anyway! I'm sure you'd like to have the money you spent on it back now but it was still a good experience and a part of what brought you to the place you're in today.
So maybe now you're asking yourself:
Where the hell did I come from?
At the risk of restating anything I may have in past posts, allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Steve. I'm 45 years old and I come from a big city in a country called Canada. As you may have already guessed, I'm more like the second guy I described above. My life has taken several paths so far. Successes and failures have made me the person I am today.
As I start these posts I find I have a lot more to say than I thought I did. Where is all of this going? Somewhere, I promise. Come back again and we'll try to get a little closer next time. Bye for now!