As a child, I often attempted to visualize what my life would be. Of course the litany of obvious choices were careers like: doctor, policeman, fireman, delivery man, grocery store owner, etc. The list was obviously generated by those with whom we became familiar, interacted with or saw on TV (at one point, I wanted to grow up to be a cowboy, thanks Marshall Dillion). What do do? What to do? Oh well, there’s time. After all, high school is coming up in a few years.
Then of course those “dreams” get interrupted by upcoming high school graduation and the reality that a plan needs to start coming together. The questions commence from parents, school counselors, friends and neighbors: What are you studying? What are you interested in pursuing? What’s your major? At this point the field consists of wider choices: architect, engineer, medical research, computer programming, space technology, business, marketing. Can’t someone just tell me what to do?? Pressure-pressure !! What if I just skip school and go into trades? plumber, carpenter, guitar player at the local lounge, trucker. If indeed something more “professional” is your choice, a college selection is now necessary. Big school? small school? in-state? out of state? reputation? costs? scholarship availability? where are you friends going? The concept of independence starts to emerge as you contemplate choices and realize that you have the major say in this next decision - and you have to live with it. As a result, more pressure builds ( heck, maybe I should pursue psychology) We make a decision and move forward. Hoping to be successful, educated, and with a clear road map to the mountain top. Along the way, we are introduced to other topics, challenges, situations and career endeavors. And with that, a spark initiates another interest that we hadn’t considered. If lucky, along with that comes an opportunity to experience something that touches a skill, knowledge or ability that we hadn’t considered, nor knew we had a propensity. Before we know it, we are aiming for a target that we didn’t even know existed back when “I just wanted to be a mailman”. As John Lennon said: “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans”. Don’t let the turns in the road diminish your desire to pursue success. I have been so fortunate to have experienced a unique career none of which I had envisioned growing up in Whippany, NJ. I’d never say that I wasn’t successful because I didn’t stay the course on my first goal. On the contrary, my life has been quite a journey and I owe it all to planning it in pencil - not ink.
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Dave ForceBehaviorist, teacher and researcher Dave Force offers 30 years of insights wrapped in an engaging and unforgettable presentation. Archives
April 2016
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