My heart goes out to all of the young people who’ve recently returned home to friends and family for the holidays. How, with all of the home-cooked meals, gifts, celebrations, and dirty laundry miraculously made clean, could I possibly feel sorry for them?
It’s the dreaded question that comes along with that nice gift from Aunt Cindy… “It’s so great to see you, Taylor! Now sit down and tell me all about school. What are you studying? What are you going to DO with that?”
It’s the question I think every college student dreads. The obvious answer is “How do I know what the !@&*% I’m going to do with that? I don’t even know what’s out there except 10% unemployment! ” I can see the uncertainty in your faces and hear it in your voice, even though most of you give a polite response that sounds like what you’re “supposed” to say.
And, really, it’s a crazy, unfair question, because it’s the rare individual who can really say, at 22 years old, with confidence, “I’m going to do X.” Are you jealous of friends who are going to business school, or medical school or law school because they seem to have it all together? Have you made those plans yourself? Well, chances are even they (or you) have little idea of what kind of medicine they want to practice, what types of legal specialty would fit their style, or what aspects of business they’d enjoy. And that’s OKAY, in fact, it’s normal. But when Grandma asks you over Christmas dinner, you’re going to do your best to give a response your family wants to hear, right?
My advice – DON’T DO IT!! Instead, use the opportunity of being with the people who care about you most to ask them questions. There’s a lot of wisdom around the table. Sure, they could be wrong, and you might not like the answers, but why not at least hear it, chew on it, and see if it fits? I know, you think that everyone expects you to have all answers. But, honestly, most people don’t. Most people don’t even have the answers for themselves even after years in their chosen career. Below are some questions that will help you get the conversation started:
- How did you make your career choice?
- Are you happy with your career choice?
- If you had it to do over, would you make the same choice? Why or why not?
- What are the most important skills to have in your field?
- How did you get started as a _____?
- What do you like best about your job?
- What do you like least about your job?
- You know me pretty well, could you see me as a _______?
- I’m thinking about going into _____, what do you think about that?
- What do you think I should consider before going into ________?
You don’t have to have all the answers, but it’s a good idea and a great time to start asking some questions.
