Tag: your career

The Illogical Path

Posted on by Carl Weber

We get jobs. We work in a particular field.

We move on, either by our choice or others.

We are faced with a choice.

We can follow the logical path. Stay in or close to our field. Connect with our network. Find something similar.

Or

We can follow the illogical path. Try something radical. Move outside of comfort. Apply the lessons and skills from one industry to another. Go work for ourselves.

During a recent breakfast discussion, as I listened to the plan for the new career, the new job, the new approach, and most of it was on the logical path.

They know people, they have experience, so they keep following the logical path.

It made sense. I kept listening.

“It all makes sense to me. But (pause) what if you spent 25% of the time you are planning to spend down the logical path in a different direction? What if you scheduled one-quarter of this effort down the illogical path?”

Throughout the rest of the conversation, it was fun to notice their body language and tone of voice. Whenever they spoke of something on the illogical path, they lit up. They leaned in, they were excited.

I shared a story about a close friend who is a writer. For most of their career, they found jobs writing. It was the logical path.

But the logical path, the seemingly safe choice, had its price. They were not very satisfied.

The writer friend recently followed the illogical path. They now have this weird hard-to-describe job that is cool, challenging, and new (frankly this job sounds super-spy like so I like to pretend that I am meeting with a spy when we have breakfast).

Which path are you following?

Sometimes the illogical path may be worth taking.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

Posted on by Carl Weber

I was meeting with someone the other day who is moving away and making some life changes because their spouse’s job requires it.  During our meeting, we discussed careers and how the recent changes were about to create a real directional shift.  What started as a series of questions regarding their current field took an interesting turn.

 “Are you going to try to find a job in your field?”

“I am not sure, I have been doing this for a while.”

“Well, what did you want to be when you were a kid?”

It is a pretty simple question, but a stunned silence filled the next few moments.  Their face said it all.  There was something deep down that had been with them since their youth, but had not been uttered in years.

“I wanted to be an Egyptologist.”

The remainder of our time together included trying to figure out just exactly how an elementary kid even knew that that job existed.  We tried to determine how long this job idea continued.  It appears to have continued through the beginning of high school.  But reality set in later in school, and the pursuit of more concrete and practical jobs prevailed.  I could see by the spark and enthusiasm that came alive at the mention of this forgotten dream that it still held some power.

“So, where you are going, do they have a good museum?” I asked.

“Yes, yes they do.  Maybe I can try to get a job with them, or at the very least, volunteer some time.”

“Great idea.”

What did YOU want to be when you were a kid?  A pilot, an astronaut, a teacher, a writer, a baker, a dancer, an artist, a hero…an Egyptologist?  It is not too late to reach towards the dream of your youth.  Maybe just remembering will provide the spark you need to try something new.  Go ahead, the world is waiting for you.