“What are you going to be when you grow up?” is a question that follows us our entire lives.
The speculation begins when we’re still in diapers. An interest in Tonka trucks might be interpreted as a portent to a future career in construction or engineering. Pick up a rolling pin, and your parents will start daydreaming about having a world renowned pastry chef in the family. Show a penchant for dressing up? You’ll be an actor or a model one day, no doubt.
Some people seem to have their future career path predestined for them. They grow up knowing with absolute certainty that they are meant to be a teacher or a doctor or a law enforcement officer. As their friends oscillate between aspirations of being a firefighter or veterinarian, those chosen few never waiver in their determination. They’re not the ones who wait until the last second to declare a major their sophomore year in college.
Can you guess where I fell on the spectrum?
My chosen field of study when I entered Manhattan College was International Business. What did that mean? I had no clue, but it sounded good. I had no idea what career opportunities it could lead to or what it would entail, but I figured I had four years to iron out all those minor details.