Sean Aiken is a recent college grad trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He’s embarked on a unique experiment: to try 52 jobs in 52 weeks. From Sean’s One Week Job website:
After finishing college with a business degree, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t settle for a career that I am not truly passionate about. My goal is to gain a better understanding of what I need in a career to be happy and inspire others to go after their passions.
Wow. A passion to find his passion! I wish I had thought of that. I know most of us didn’t have the money to live without wages after graduating college, but even if we had, would we have done something this crazy? Probably not. I know I wouldn’t have. It takes a special kind of bravery to put yourself out there like that.
There are a lot of jobs I wish I’d tried: martial arts instructor (I’d have to be a lot better than I am now), graphic designer (a real one), furniture maker (or any craftperson making usable goods), editor (in the LA-sense, aka film editing), stage manager… the list goes on. If most of my passion wasn’t being poured into writing right now, I’d be tempted to go after some of these.
What about you? What career path do you wish you’d tried?
My second choice, after Info Tech, was to be a psychologist. Somehow the two seem to come together, but shrinks have better offices and make more money. And they're not getting outsourced.
I'm curious as to how psychologists and Info Tech come together — I suspect the answer would amuse me.
Psychologist — that's a good one. I always assumed you'd need to be pretty centered to help others with their mental/emotional issues, but after meeting a few therapists, that does not seem to be the case… :)
Oh…what I'd do if I had an un-do button. I think I would have stuck to writing and computers and avoided business management and retail. I wish I stuck more to my passions, rather than play it "safe." With a global economy, there is no such thing as safe.
Other vocations I'd try would be professional chef, computer game designer, and researcher – the scientific kind. I'd be a free lance journalist. Yes, the world needs a Stephen Jay Gould and Anthony Bourdain mix with a touch of Douglas Adams.
Every time I do a list like this, I feel like I should end it with, "but what I really want to do is direct."
Oh, dude. An un-do button! I would spend everything I have for one of those.
Chef! I can see you as a chef! And your computer games would be laced with humor. I'm not sure how your humor would fit into the researcher role, but I'd sure enjoy finding out.
It's not too late for passions, though. I see them in your writing and your marathon running — and, you know, level 70. ;-)
I would have loved to have been a film composer. I never got past the "learning to read music" roadblock.
Outside the industry, I always thought that meteorology was fascinating, esp. studying storms and how they form.
Film composer? For serious? Wow! That sounds as difficult to me as "neurosurgeon." Never knew about your interest in meteorology, either! I knew a guy in college who became one of those tornado chasers. Not my cup of tea!
Hi Jenn!
I my IT job, I deal with many aspects of the personality, different mind types, and borderline psychoses. Lately I am doing less actual technical work and more and more "people management." Finding a way to deal with the difficult and creating a meeting of the minds, toward a common goal. Getting people to do what they're supposed to do anyway.
Yeah, I could tell you some amusing and teeth ganshing stories.
BTW, I also practice Martial Arts, which helps to take the edge off the crazy days.