The career quest
Yesterday, I attended a career talk by BCG (Boston Consulting Group). It was almost intimidating to enter a room full of people who exude such an aura of intelligence. I suppose it is universally accepted that some of the world’s smartest people work / have worked at BCG, and they won’t disappoint you when you meet them in person. The presentation was impressive, of course, but contrary to my expectations, it was also soft-selling, casual and rather humble. The intimidation has been replaced by admiration.
I wonder if people who are now on the other side of the line, who are happy with their jobs, successful even, were ever in the same boat as so many of us soon-to-be-graduates. Did they know from the start what they liked, what they wanted to do, where they belonged? Were they aware of exactly where they stood, with respect to smartness, intelligence, skills and capabilities? Did they have the perfect attitude to begin with?Â
I wonder if like many things in life, our career has a defining moment too. A moment when we know just who we are and what we’re supposed to do for the rest of time.Â
But then again, do we define the moments in our life or do the moments define us?
Welcome to my blog, The Shooting Star. I’ve been called a storyteller, writer, photographer, digital nomad, “sustainability influencer,” social entrepreneur, solo traveller, vegan, sustainable tourism consultant and environmentalist. But in my heart, I’m just a girl who believes that travel – if done right – has the power to change us and the world we live in.
I graduated in 2006 with a degree in Accounting. To this day, I still have no idea what I wanted to do. Instead of getting a job, I continued on my path of managing a retail store. Because I am currently at the top, I will probably find myself with the need to move on soon. There is no where else for me to go here. I wish I had my potential in front of me like you do!
@ Virginia: Thanks! I think you have so much more potential before you too. At least you can tick retail off your list and find new things to experiment with. I’m glad you made a start and a great one. I hope awesome things are coming our way 🙂
Depends on which moments you are talking about! And if it is career, I have seen many who have just swept away whatever has come in their life and many are there you have stood and listened to their heart. But I feel both requires courage…you can’t say which one is better!
I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life until I was in my mid-twenties, and I ended up spending five years at BCG – where many of my colleagues had the same approach to life. The wonderful thing about BCG was that it’s a generalist’s playground: you’re always doing new things, and you never run out of enough new matters to nourish your curiosity.
@strategynut: Wow, that’s awesome. I guess the opportunity to work at BCG is some kind of a direction in itself. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one whose struggling with the “no-clue-what-to-do-in-life” syndrome at this point in life. Thanks for the encouragement 🙂