A few weekends ago, my mom and her friend from college came to visit for Family Weekend. We had the most amazing time, filled with hiking, delicious food, deep, meaningful conversations, SNL, and lots of silly mom jokes. While the weekend was certainly comprised of mostly fun and games, we also spent some time talking about my future plans pertaining to careers, majors, and study-abroad programs.
These topics mostly came up on our last full day together, when my mom Jane, her friend Lauren and I stopped at one of my favorite spots in town—Last Drop Cafe—in the Village, to pick up some caffeinated drinks and sandwiches to have a little picnic on the Pomona lawn. I had introduced myself to the owner, who was making our drinks, because I had remembered him from a presentation he gave to the Motley Coffeehouse employees (his cafe supplies a lot of our baked goods). He was really friendly and talked to the three of us for a few minutes. After we got our food and were on our way to campus, I mentioned how amazing it was that he seemed to love his job and get genuine joy out of making people happy, one latte and cookie at a time. This conversation soon morphed into musings related to careers in general, and Lauren and my mom were both curious and eager to discuss my future plans.
Since Lauren seemed to have a lot of experience surrounding careers and life in general, I asked for her opinion on what she pictured me doing down the road. I know what I don’t want to do, but when I try to solidify what it is I do want to do, things get a bit muddier.
The previous night, Lauren had shared the entire story of how she ended up becoming a physician’s assistant, along with all of the bumps and divots that got her there. It wasn’t her initial plan at all, but it ended up being a dream that she decided to pursue. She also elaborated on her two kids’ decisions pertaining to majors and jobs. It was really reassuring to hear that people arrive at their careers and goals through all sorts of different paths, that most trajectories are not entirely linear, and that not all people go into college having a “plan.”
Lauren, being the insightful and kind soul that she is, ended up telling me what kind of careers she pictured me doing and why. She provided some really interesting points and justifications that would have never occurred to me. Ultimately, we all have to make our own decisions regarding career choices, but I found it really useful and comforting to obtain advice from a wise and experienced outside source who could assess my strengths and weaknesses more objectively than a family member could. While my mom arguably knows me better than anyone else (even better than myself sometimes,) she can be biased in the sense that she knows I get anxious about my future easily, so her advice is always in the realm of telling me to “worry less,” or “not think about it.” She constantly reassures me that it will “all work out.” While this sort of advice works well for me, I also need the kind of advice provided by Lauren, which can help push me along and ensure that I am taking steps towards whatever goals I have.
Moreover, one of the most important things I gained from my conversion with Lauren was how I need to find a balance between practicality and passion. She stressed the importance of planning ahead, and making sure the decisions I make regarding my major, internships, study-abroad, etc. are rooted in some form of logic and practicality. In other words, she wants to make sure that I have thoroughly considered all of my options and how it will all fit together to get me in a place I want to be.
Overall, I am so lucky that I have strong role-models that have helped guide me in all facets of my life. I hope to continue to learn from others who are older, more experienced, and more insightful than I am. It’s reassuring to realize that I don’t need to figure it all out on my own, and I can always ask for help and guidance. For anyone else out there who feels confused and indecisive, I recommend finding some positive older role-models who can be a source of guidance and support.
T-shirts always contain the truest statements.
Source: http://www.inourhands.com/skills-building/positive-role-model/