Finding Your True Path Beyond the Degree on Your Wall
Do you ever feel like the degree hanging on your wall is more of a life sentence than a passport to your dreams? This is the question we find ourselves facing when we step into adulthood with a major that felt right at the time, but now seems to trap us in a single identity.
The College Labeling Machine Tells Us What We ‘Are', Leaving Us To Compliantly Decide What We Will ‘Do'
When we're young, we dive into education with a thirst for knowledge and a dream in our hearts. As children we are often asked by our loved ones, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But the system, with its best intentions, nudges us down a narrow path. Choose a major, they say. Focus here, dedicate there. And just like that, we're railroading straight into a career that's supposed to be ours until retirement beckons. Along the way, the education system silently taught us to ask ourselves a new more adult question. We no longer want our identity to be attached to the work that we do, and the question we compliantly ask one another now turns into, “What do you DO for a living?”
We used to be asked, “What do you want to BE?” But now that question has morphed into, “What do you do?” This separation of person from production is a hint to the decay the system has placed on our naturally born desires & the creative license to pursue genuine interests.
The education system often acts like label makers, slotting us into a pre-planned life track the moment we choose a label they offer. This path, while clear, can quietly steer us away from our hidden talents and passions, making us think they're just hobbies, not serious paths. It's like being given a map but losing the freedom to explore off the beaten path. The result? We often end up feeling unsure about stepping away from that familiar road, even when our true interests and gifts are calling us to venture into uncharted territories.
Breaking Free from the Career Box
It's not the act of choosing a career that's the problem, but the fact that we feel chained to it. We invest time, effort, and a heap of money into earning these degrees. This creates a mindset that anything outside of our chosen field is, in some way, a waste or a step backward. Moreover, this illusion that veering off a set path equates to failure limits our potential, stunts our curiosity, and silences the whispers of our other talents.
Rediscovering the Multiple Facets of You
Imagine if we redefined success not as a singular goal achieved, but as a multifaceted journey explored. Your education is important, no doubt. But it should serve as a base camp for your exploration, not the boundaries of your world. Discovering the entrepreneur in you, the side-hustle superstar, or the hobby-turned-career opportunity is as vital as the degree itself.
Keeping Your Inner Explorer Alive
To the professionals stuck in their day jobs, yearning for something more, remember this:
“Your degree is not your destiny.”
It's a launchpad to the multitude of talents you possess. Keep that curiosity alive, for it will guide you to untapped potential and new adventures. Reimagine yourself as a lifelong learner, an explorer of opportunities.
The point is not just to have an education or a job. It's to find the myriad of ways your unique skills and passions can intersect with the world's needs. So, keep your mind wide open. Ask yourself: What else am I capable of?
When we start to peel away the labels and look at ourselves as dynamic beings, a world of opportunities unfolds before us. It's time we embraced our full potential and turned ‘What if?' into ‘Why not?'
Now breathe life into those dreams shelved behind the dust of your old textbooks. You have the power to redefine your trajectory and to reveal the masterpiece of your life's work, one brush stroke at a time.
