I work with 40 – 50 high school students each summer. They work on projects at local businesses for two weeks in July. Students who want to become involved in the program must complete an application and write a two-hundred word essay on why they wish to participate. After they complete their paperwork, I interview each student. If they complete everything as required, they’ve got a good shot at being selected for the program.
When I interview the students I ask them to project into the future. “What do you plan to do after graduation from high school?” is a typical ask.
If they talk about college I’ll ask, “Where do you plan to go and what are you going to study?” Most have no clue. They talk about going, but don’t know where or what they are going to study once they arrive. The program helps some of them sort out their indecision.
I think most people’s life path has several twists and turns. There are no straight lines to success.
One young man who I helped mentor twenty years ago knew what he wanted to accomplish but was taking his time to get it done. His lack of action frustrated me. I knew he could accomplish anything he chose if he decided to move forward. Ultimately, he did.
He set out to become a teacher, and once his college requirements were fulfilled, he applied and interviewed for two jobs. He didn’t land the first, but he did the second. As he completed his fifth year in the classroom his supervising principal retired. He decided to apply for her job. If he would have landed the first teaching job that he sought, he wouldn’t have been in the running for this new position.
The search for the principal’s replacement came down to two, my mentee and an older, more seasoned, staff member. The superintendent called my mentee into his office and said something like, “You’re the more qualified candidate, and deserve the job, but I’m awarding the position to the other candidate because she’s been here longer.” Not all jobs are awarded to the most qualified. Many are awarded because of seniority. That’s not always a good choice.
My mentee applied and interviewed in neighboring districts for two other administrative jobs that summer. He didn’t get the first, but landed the second. He became an elementary school principal. Two years later the superintendent that hired him took another job, and my mentee became the superintendent. If he had been awarded the first or second elementary principal position that he sought, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be promoted within the third district. He zig and zagged and earned his way to the top. There were no straight lines for him.
My own career path took different turns. I went off to college to become an attorney. As I learned more about law school I decided that I would use my bachelor school years to earn a teaching degree. My degree aligned with the requirements for law school. I was prepared to study law and become an attorney, but decided to move forward with my teaching career. I’m happy with the choice I made.
I taught middle school for eight years. During my last two teaching years I applied for and was denied several administrative positions before getting hired as the Addison Elementary School Principal. I worked there for fifteen years before going to Britton as superintendent. I applied for several superintendent positions, and turned one down, before landing in Britton. I even interviewed five years prior for the superintendent position in Britton that I ultimately landed. That was no straight line for me, but it was worth the wait.
When I speak with my high school students each summer, I use the examples of my mentee and myself to demonstrate that it’s important to have goals, but I emphasize that goals change. Just because one door doesn’t open for you doesn’t mean that there aren’t other doors to try.
My dad worked for one company for over thirty years. That was the norm for his generation. That’s no longer the case. Tenures of thirty-years, or more, are rare.
New employment opportunities, including entirely new fields of study, rule today’s job market. Single, straight line paths are difficult to travel. Being nimble, reaching beyond what may be comfortable, should serve as a mantra for all of us. Even “about to be” 72 year old’s like me.