Warning, serious content alert! A comment the other day brought to mind a saying that I had posted in my office way back when I commanded a fairly large company in the Army. The saying was, “Your Best Isn’t Good Enough If The Job Doesn’t Get Done.” It may seem rather blunt and there are people who work hard, try hard, and just are not cut out for certain activities, careers, jobs, or positions. It shouldn’t be embarrassing to admit that something isn’t a good fit or right match.
And with graduations all around the country and rightful celebrations, it is also important to honestly assess an individual’s known and potential abilities in choosing what comes next. It is also incredibly important to remember that there are the so-called “late bloomers” which can very often simply mean an individual hasn’t found that thing that adequately sparks their interest.
The reality is that success is not a one-size fits all, not everyone should go to college, not everyone who completes college can do so immediately, and while having a degree is in general something positive, actual employment in many fields is extremely limited. Since I have an undergraduate degree in Pre-law/Political Science, that’s a good example. I did not follow through with my plans to become a lawyer and had I wanted to pursue a career in politics, that would have likely meant a fairly narrow range of state or national level jobs unless I chose to stay in/return to school for a Master’s and Doctorate to enter the world of academia. On the other hand, the skills of research, reading and writing that I gained in my undergraduate work served me very well in the endeavors that I did pursue. Understanding the cross-over application of skills in choosing a course of study is important as is being realistic from the beginning what the chances are of working in a particular field.
Entering the skilled trades – and there are literally hundreds to choose from – is exactly the right choice for many that can lead to either a satisfying career in employment or plunging into the role of entrepreneur. As I believe I have posted before, multiple career paths are far more common now than is the enter a career at a young age and stay with that. It is simply the nature of today’s business environment and changing jobs every few years is not the “raise your eyebrows” kind of thing that it was when we Baby Boomers were starting out.
As always, I urge the military for those who are qualified for at least a few years because there aren’t many other organizations that can teach you as much about yourself, being a team player, and understanding the value of good leadership.
