When There's No Map for Your Path

When I was in high school, there were two study tracks offered - college prep and vocational. At the beginning of my junior year, I went to the guidance counselor and took a career test that didn't have any creative careers outside of teaching as possible results, so I was told my best bets would be things like driving buses, being a handyman, or trash pickup. The counselor was most certain I wasn't college material.

Despite that, I did go to college and graduated with a combined degree in music and business. After graduating, I was clueless about how to pursue the career I wanted, so I started working pretty much wherever I could. Over the next ten years, I held eleven different positions with five different employers ranging from warehouse work, to sales, to group home counselor, to gang intervention coordinator, to curriculum developer and trainer, to victim advocate, to crisis center counselor. 

At the same time, I started my first couple of side businesses in music production and tried to figure out how I could realize my musical dreams. It was no wonder the career test and guidance counselor couldn't tell me what to do. My path has been largely unpredictable, taking me from one opportunity to another, creating a unique skill set and pool of experience to draw from. The only map I can have is the one I draw after the fact.

I'm here to help people in similar circumstances. I assure you you're still sane when everyone else calls you crazy. I'll challenge the belief that an unconventional career path is less valid than a traditional one in which the steps are laid out and clear from beginning to end.  And I'll advocate for your hunches and encourage you to follow them. At a minimum, they will lead you to significant learning. 

If you'd like me to be a part of your support network as you clear the brush from in front of you, set up a call at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall.

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