Your Shrinking Path of Life
Good Morning Scholars!
When I was little my mommy told me I "could be whatever I want to be, as long as I work hard and go to school." I'm willing to bet that most parents utilize this same "the sky's the limit" motivational tactic. However, is it actually true? I would argue that "it depends."
"No shit." you say. "What about the quality of education, financial opportunity, individual differences in intelligence and personality, as well as social networking and values?"
Oh, your points are indeed very good, and believe me you're preaching to the choir. No my friends, my query today is much more relevant to your own adult life. You see, part of my perspective today is that time and experience are the nails hammered into the coffin of that "the sky's the limit" ideal.
Who you are today dictates your potential for tomorrow.
In our youth we dreamt of what we could do and who we could be, and we had many paths of education and opportunity yet to explore. In the formative period of our lives we are obsessed with planning who we'll be and what will happen in the future. This formative period may vary depending upon your education, work experience and various other factors so the age range could be anywhere between let's say "16 to 26".
However, as we get older our options are fewer; we choose a field of study and work, we have increased financial, relationship and familial responsibilities, our capacity to learn reduces, our physical abilities decrease, etc. In essence our options for the future decrease as we become pigeon-holed into what we have become. As a result, we transition from a "idealistic" orientation to a "reality" orientation. Young people tend to talk about the future and older people tend to talk about the past. This shift in perspective makes perfect sense since as youths we have a longer period of life yet to be lived, as opposed to when we get older, we have fewer years (unless you're immortal, then you're all set...)
"Oh Don, don't be such a fucking pessimist, isn't who we are now who we wanted to become? And besides, we could always change careers by going back to school, right?"
The better question would be "is who you are now, who you want to be?" and if not, "what can you do about it?" The future is written by what you have done and are doing right now!
What the fuck are you waiting for?
To address the second question....Well, assuming your financial and familial responsibilities are relatively low, and that you are accepted into the program of study that you're interested in (assuming education is required for your career change), bust out your degree in 2-4 years (depending how many prior credits are accepted), and then can find a job in your new field without any experience, then "sure you can do it." Not to be a dick, but my bet is that your success is unlikely unless you have nothing to lose or the transition career is not vastly different than your current career.
Anyway, here are my questions:
Who are you right now?
All this talk of "who you want to become" and "who you could be" begs the question, "What does 'you' consist of?" In your eyes; are you a profession, belief system, a collective of personality traits, that mythical creation of the "soul"? What are your perceptions of who you believe you are, or do you believe you are nothing more than a collective of matter and experience?
Regardless of who you are, isn't the point of life the actual journey?
Whether or not you are happy with where you are in life, isn't the true value found in experiencing the challenging journey towards your dreams, no matter where or what direction they lead you?
Anyone with a desire, or in the process of changing careers?
What are you doing to transition? When do you expect to complete that transition? What do you hope to gain from the career change for yourself?
All right, click the "comments" link right below to read the responses of others, as well as jot down your own responses. Oh, and "NO" you don't have to be a member of Blogger to put in your $0.02; Just select "Other" for your identity, type in your name, and post your comments... that's it.... simple as eating really ridiculously good looking pie!
I'm going back for more Lemon Zinger!
When I was little my mommy told me I "could be whatever I want to be, as long as I work hard and go to school." I'm willing to bet that most parents utilize this same "the sky's the limit" motivational tactic. However, is it actually true? I would argue that "it depends."
"No shit." you say. "What about the quality of education, financial opportunity, individual differences in intelligence and personality, as well as social networking and values?"
Oh, your points are indeed very good, and believe me you're preaching to the choir. No my friends, my query today is much more relevant to your own adult life. You see, part of my perspective today is that time and experience are the nails hammered into the coffin of that "the sky's the limit" ideal.
Who you are today dictates your potential for tomorrow.
In our youth we dreamt of what we could do and who we could be, and we had many paths of education and opportunity yet to explore. In the formative period of our lives we are obsessed with planning who we'll be and what will happen in the future. This formative period may vary depending upon your education, work experience and various other factors so the age range could be anywhere between let's say "16 to 26".
However, as we get older our options are fewer; we choose a field of study and work, we have increased financial, relationship and familial responsibilities, our capacity to learn reduces, our physical abilities decrease, etc. In essence our options for the future decrease as we become pigeon-holed into what we have become. As a result, we transition from a "idealistic" orientation to a "reality" orientation. Young people tend to talk about the future and older people tend to talk about the past. This shift in perspective makes perfect sense since as youths we have a longer period of life yet to be lived, as opposed to when we get older, we have fewer years (unless you're immortal, then you're all set...)
"Oh Don, don't be such a fucking pessimist, isn't who we are now who we wanted to become? And besides, we could always change careers by going back to school, right?"
The better question would be "is who you are now, who you want to be?" and if not, "what can you do about it?" The future is written by what you have done and are doing right now!
What the fuck are you waiting for?
To address the second question....Well, assuming your financial and familial responsibilities are relatively low, and that you are accepted into the program of study that you're interested in (assuming education is required for your career change), bust out your degree in 2-4 years (depending how many prior credits are accepted), and then can find a job in your new field without any experience, then "sure you can do it." Not to be a dick, but my bet is that your success is unlikely unless you have nothing to lose or the transition career is not vastly different than your current career.
Anyway, here are my questions:
Who are you right now?
All this talk of "who you want to become" and "who you could be" begs the question, "What does 'you' consist of?" In your eyes; are you a profession, belief system, a collective of personality traits, that mythical creation of the "soul"? What are your perceptions of who you believe you are, or do you believe you are nothing more than a collective of matter and experience?
Regardless of who you are, isn't the point of life the actual journey?
Whether or not you are happy with where you are in life, isn't the true value found in experiencing the challenging journey towards your dreams, no matter where or what direction they lead you?
Anyone with a desire, or in the process of changing careers?
What are you doing to transition? When do you expect to complete that transition? What do you hope to gain from the career change for yourself?
All right, click the "comments" link right below to read the responses of others, as well as jot down your own responses. Oh, and "NO" you don't have to be a member of Blogger to put in your $0.02; Just select "Other" for your identity, type in your name, and post your comments... that's it.... simple as eating really ridiculously good looking pie!
I'm going back for more Lemon Zinger!
posted by Don the "Head Chimp" at
8:39 AM
9 Comments:
Teaser
Fun topic.
I'll respond when I'm out of work.
By
D a n i e l, at 1:10 PM
I have poop crotch!
By
Anonymous, at 3:34 PM
I am in the process of changing careers. After a couple of years of trying to find meaningful work with just a BA in psychology and being rather unhappy I decided to collect more college debt and go to law school. I have really no deisre to ne a lawyer though, maybe a prosecutor as I did look into becomming a police officer but due to poor eyes so much for that. But anyways, the transition was rather easy. I had nothing to lose...no family issues...no girlfriend issues. Just financial, but thats what student loans are for. I am not sure what I want to be, I do know that I want to expereince life and be able to realize my true potential whatever that is. So I guess right now, I am a student and a life adventurer but only because I can be. I do think the actual journey is a point of life, but how much of a journey is it for people born into poverty in the Sudan. The only thing I expect from my current journey is lots more debt, hopefully more knowledge, and maybe a well paying job. But the whole job thing is another issue. Because I do not attend Harvard and instead attend Toledo, many law firms will not even consider my resume no matter how great I am. So, initially, I am already limited. But do I really care that I can't get a job at a New York law firm, maybe not. I am more interested in public service and fulfilling my civic duty...but then again...to graduate law school and make 125,000 my first year would not be bad. But in the end, it comes down to what is important me and ultimately its more about helping humanity than getting rich.
By
Anonymous, at 4:30 PM
Comments about Comments
Dan: By "out of work" do you mean unemployed or when you have completed your work for the day?
Anonymous: (AKA: Kari) Kari, you have "poop crotch" because you A) did not pull down your pants, and B) did not move from your computer desk chair to a toilet; thus, you created "poop crotch".
UTLaw: Well stated; not many people can afford to be a life-long college student without building some crazy amounts of debt. If I were to go back to school, I would get a degree that is universally accepted such as a medical or nursing degree, as well as study multiple languages. Then I would move like a nomad every 5 years from country to country; that would be a progressive life journey indeed. Of course, at this point in my life I don't value having children, so that would play a big moderator of whether one could handle that path.
By
Don the "Head Chimp", at 7:45 PM
Here is the meaning of life: there isn't one. So you might as well just figure out what you enjoy and do that. Yes, you'll have to factor in you're responsibilities. Yes, some people will have it easier than you. Yes, every path will have it's ups and downs. No, there is no guarantee that it will all work out for you. But if the alternative is to just do what you're doing because it's easier then it might be worth your while to endure a little more hardship.
By
D a n i e l, at 10:50 PM
Yeah, this is a pretty good one.
1. I am a person who has been to hell and back in all aspects of my life. I see the difference that can be made in a second, a life-changing difference. I am sensitive to the point of no return. Pretty high on the liberal scale, as most Social Work students tend to be. I am sensitive, intuitively intelligent, can run circles around people in topics that I really give a rats ass about; I'm stubborn, I am driven, I am easily irritated by ignorance. I notice little things in people's behavior and facial/body expressions that people don't see until they're pointed out (and most of them...still don't see them). However, I also believe my way is the "right way" (not always the case), may be flighty, impatient in all aspects of my life, and may be too blunt with people at times (see the "my way is the right way"). I also, however, realize that I am hampered by this, and do my best to mitigate this fact. I tend to make things "all about me" and "people should do what I think they should do." Hey, at least I see it.
2. I think that no matter where you are; there's a lesson in there somewhere. Whether you find out you have a shitty disease that eats your organs alive; whether you crack under pressure of Graduate school; there's a lesson. I think we, as people, are constantly changing, and I believe we are all different people than we were ten years ago. Not to mention, will be completely different in ten years FROM now....slowly, slowly changing. I think it's simply a way of changing with the times. Your friends change, your family changes, your lifestyle changes, where you want to go in regards to life changes. Who knows where any of us will end up? No matter what we're working towards, company we're working for, the person we choose as a companion..they may not be the ones you would choose 20 years from now. You could change your focus. Your company could merge or shut down. You could get divorced at 50. That's the game of chance.
3. You have to remember, with me, I worked at Kmart. For ten years. I was still going to school. I had no desire to be there; save for the money. I knew I wasn't going to end up there. I changed my major 4 times in undergrad; and focused on something totally different post-grad. Art History, Teaching, Pre-Med, and Psychology. I graduated in Psychology. But, I wanted to apply it. I can't do that without another...4 more (give or take) years of school. Then, it's, "Here's your Paxil, see me in 6 months." I wanted to work with people. Hence, Social Work. I want to work in macro-level Social Work, changing things that need to be changed in this state. Bills. Laws. Primarily Health Care (esp. insurance) focused. However, I decided that when I was 26 years old.
In conclusion, I think that we are growing, changing every minute. Not unlike every living being on this planet. However, that day will come when you either don't want to learn, change, grow. That day will be when you die -- no matter what your station in life.
By
Anonymous, at 4:57 PM
Dude, you are starting to sound like my old man (at least you are not asleep on your couch with the weather channel on). Anyway, my old man would always say stupid crap like that "Choose your future before it chooses you." Thats a load of bull shit - poop crotch if you will. You can pretty much do whatever it is you want to do whenever you want to do it. This will not be easy. If you want to do something else than do it. There will be transition time and may end up eating ramen 3 times a day (with no freeze dried vegies). I have a family and I hate when people think that is a burden. If you don't like your family or don't want one - it will be a burden. However it has never stopped me from doing anything. I'll grant you it causes me to only get like 3 hours of sleep but my plan is to retire in 10 years (39) so I'll sleep then.
By
Anonymous, at 11:18 AM
Interesting comments all.
Life has it's ups and downs and if you can manage not to dwell on the downs and enjoy the ups while they last than I think you are doing OK.
Like Don said it is the Journey that counts and not the destination. Ultimately the destination is the same for everyone
By
Anonymous, at 1:00 PM
Yo
Terry: I'm not saying that you can't change your path or that family is a "burden"; I'm just saying the longer you wait and the more responsibilities you have (family included) the more difficult it is to change that path to a significant degree without repercusions (i.e. eating ramen without the freeze-dried veggies and resulting sideways poop)
You can do anything you want, however, I'm incoporating success rates, probability, and objective obstacles that one would have to overcome to be able to do what they want. When you're younger and have less responsibilities it's a lot easier.
Joe L: Well stated my friend! (and not just because you quoted me in your response...) ;)
By
Don the "Head Chimp", at 5:32 PM
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