Mapping out a Decidedly Bright Future
I still remember the mixture of feelings that would well up inside when someone asked me what I wanted to do with my life. My life? My whole life? That seemed like a heavy question that needed an assiduously, thought-out answer. One that I didn’t have. At the time, I had no idea as to what I wanted to do with the rest of my life after high school graduation and the beginning of college. I wasn’t the student who had it all mapped and figured out, nor did I have dreams of a professional career of x,y,z at an early age.
All in the span of a few years, I had lofty aspirations of wanting to pursue each of the following at a given time: Culinary school, architecture, surgeon, interior design and physical therapy.
My interests were mixed, and uncultivated, my understanding of myself limited and swayed by expectations of my parents and peers.
As a student, or a recent grad or even exiting out of a career or field of study, you maybe wondering, just like I was -what’s next?
Where do you start when you don’t know which direction to go?
Here is a few tips on how I got started.
Understanding more about yourself and who you are. I don’t need to understand who I am…said no one ever! Learning more about oneself as you grow and evolve is an ever present process, no matter what stage of life you are in. Making big decisions based off who you are and what makes you tick, is a good first step when starting to plan for your future endeavors. The idea is that we want to better align who we are with what we do for maximum success. Questions to start asking yourself: What interests you? What are you good at? What do you enjoy learning about? What challenges you? What makes you think? Do you like routine and structure? Do you thrive on pressure?
What’s your personality type? Do you get the most fulfillment helping others? Or solving problems? Do you need a sense of adventure? Do you need autonomy? Do you work better with others? There are so many personality type tests available online (and for free). Enneagram, DISC, color test, 16 personalities, etc. These type of online tests are helpful perspective into the caveats of your personality. They often can be eye-opening by allowing those more critical to self or more generous to self, a well-rounded critique of what works well for your personality type and what doesn't .
Be honest with yourself about your likes and dislikes. This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the above but honestly assess what you like and dislike, irregardless of what family thinks, friends expect or social norms imposed on you. Yes, I know Aunt Linda really would like you to become Lawyer for bragging rights, but if you dislike public speaking then be honest with yourself; this might not be the best fit, even if it may disappoint Aunt Linda. While your love for a particular profession or field of study may be about helping others, this part is really about you. As I started filtering through the list of areas of study in healthcare, I originally had high hopes of going to medical school and becoming an orthopedic surgeon; The problem was that I liked the idea and everything about the actually path to become a surgeon, I honestly had no interest or desire.
Take a step in a direction. Sometimes you just have to start somewhere and often we can get so hung up on needing certainty that this is the right step, or the right time and the end result is talking ourselves out of doing anything. Is this the right decision? Is this is perfect time? Its easy to let self-doubt or insecurity fill in the gaps and soon, take over. Sometimes you just have to start somewhere, and the right paths, directions, and/or decisions will filter down, and fall into place. Even if you start in the wrong direction, you may find clarification on which direction to point your compass instead. Had I not started shadowing an Occupational therapist, I would not have known, so early, that it wasn’t a good fit for me.
And above all, we are dynamic; as we grow, experience and learn, our preferences, perspective and outlook changes. And as I revisit my timeline of when I began my career, I can also see how these same steps can apply now, as my career and life goals change. Understanding where I am at in life and being honest with myself has been essential in better assessing which direction to take. But also having the courage to take a step toward goals, has brought forth new opportunities that I would never had imagined.
So wherever you are at now, decided or undecided, get started. It’s really all about the journey and the many small steps its takes to get there.
As always, stay happy and healthy…mentally and physically!
Dr. Jen Wademan
