Be Kind, (Career) Rewind
At a 4th of July BBQ yesterday, I caught up with an old friend. Actually, he was a co-worker from my video store clerk days, and we got to talking about the successes of some of the other kids we worked with at the time. Our little clique, we learned, has come a long way since arguing over late fees and applying “be kind, rewind” stickers (yes, this was the pre-DVD era).
There’s been a law school grad, a college professor, an all-out computer genius, a cell phone tech guru, and — um, well — us. He’s in radio, I’m in Internet media, as you know.
Like me, he loves his job, but he can’t help but wonder what his life would have been like had he majored in finance, law, or computer science like many of his friends. For one thing, it would make house-hunting easier to bare (I found out both he and I are looking for homes in the same neighborhood — small world, right?). But my response to him is that despite higher salaries, we’d be miserable and bored out of our heads!
In other words, there’s nothing to gain from sulking over career regrets. Just because you’re not a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or teacher doesn’t mean you’re destined for failure. I like to think that it makes more sense to choose your career destiny based on your unique interests and talents.
Just take a look at what these folks are doing if you don’t believe me:
Pretty cool stuff, no? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — when you do what you love, the rewards will follow. And, I’d venture to guess that there are even those out there who’d say working at a radio station, or getting paid to blog is pretty sweet! See, Chris? We’ve come a long way since the video store, too.