How In The World Did I Get Here?
I have no idea how I've ended up doing what I do for a living. Or how I got here. Interestingly, informal conversations with friends indicates I'm keeping company with many of you on this subject. If you would have told me when I was ten years old that I'd work in high-tech complex sales for two decades, then transition to consulting, I'd have said "Huh?", then "No way!"
I guess if we all ended up doing what we were sure we'd be doing when we were young, the world would be filled with policemen, ballerinas, firemen, astronauts, and veterinarians. While that might not be all that bad to some, it sure would limit commerce and variety.
I wonder how many of us are following in the footsteps of our parents and grand parents? In some ways I am, both my parents were and are small business owners. But I've never worked in personal services, construction or leisure and recreation – industries my parents chose to make a living.
This post entered my mind from having read a post by Bob Bly. Bob cites an article from CareerBuilder.com lists the "25 top jobs for 2006." Bob notes there are many surprises in the list, professions both noticeably absent and present. Most notably absent are marketing, advertising, publishing, and writing professions.
Bob concludes his post with a question of the relevance of marketing and writing professions today and whether or not you would recommend your children to follow in your footsteps. Bob's post is worth reading, but I'm sure the comments will be most interesting.
The thought Bob's post put in my mind is how many of us are making a living today the way we thought we would 10-15 years ago? I'm not. How about you? How are you making money today and what did you think you'd be doing when you were a kid?
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By Kevin Stirtz, January 16, 2006 @ 7:27 am
Jim – I have two thoughts on this. One is that we should think about and dream about our future. It’s important to have a vision of where we think we want to go, even if we never get there. That leads to my second thought. We can’t predict where we’ll end up. Too many twists and turns. And that’s okay because life is about the journey. The joy is in each step we take along the way.
Thanks for getting me thinking this morning!