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If you could do it all over again, would your choose the same path for yourself? If not What would you changer what kinds of decisions do you make?

#career-choice #career-path

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Steven’s Answer

Hi Jonathan,

For a bit of context, I'm currently working in the tech industry where I have been for the last 6 years of my career. However my trajectory to where I am today was quite unconventional, as I was on a very different path during my college career. I entered university taking general engineering classes, as well as introductory Computer Science courses. However, since I struggled in these computing courses, I ultimately transitioned into Economics and graduated with a bachelor's degree. After completing a finance-related internship in Medellín, Colombia, I quickly realized that I wanted to transition back into tech/engineering and began self-learning front-end web development. After completing a development bootcamp, and ultimately landed a job in the tech industry and haven't looked back ever since!

If I were to do it all over again, I would have started taking computer science classes in high school, or at least dedicated time to learning on my own. This would have prepared me to hit the ground running instead of playing catch up due to my minimal experience in this field, and I would have been more likely to complete a degree in engineering from the beginning.

My advice to you would be to select a few areas of interest and start doing your own exploring & learning as early as possible to see which path truly interests you. This will help you define a plan for yourself on what you want to focus on, and you'll also be more prepared to if you end up taking relevant coursework in high school or college.
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Skye’s Answer

I strongly believe that no matter what career path you choose right out of college there is always abundant opportunity for you as you grow and learn what you love to do. I graduated with a degree in finance and started my first job in tech support where I knew very little about computers. I was able to move to a job in financial services within my same company and now am building robotic process automations for our financial services group. I never would have dreamed I would be doing what I am now doing out of college. Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to try new things that will stretch your comfort zone.
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Estelle’s Answer

Absolutely. I've been a gynecologist for about 30 years, and I still love going to work. Being a physician is extremely rewarding. The path to becoming a physician is many years of sacrifice and hard work but definitely worth it in the end.
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Wilbert’s Answer

I would not want to change anything because it was a great learning experience for me and it really inspires me to help others with similar concerns in life.
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Gloria’s Answer

When I started working, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. It actually took me working in a variety of jobs to find a place for myself. I started working for an assistance in a government agency. Then I went to do data entry in a bank then into call center work. In each of the roles, I found that i became a go-to person for training others on the job that I was doing at the time. I was able to communicate to others how to do processes and procedures. I even impressed bosses by documenting that. I went into mail services and managed people, while still having this skill of teaching people. I ended up doing training and my regular day job for a while. I was nearly 30 before training became my full time job. I am not sure that I would have changed my journey. I have worked in at least six industries, each one giving me different skills that I might not have otherwise gained. Being in the Telecomm industry allowed me to move to Texas. Working in the Hospitality industry allowed me to visit 17 countries. I am now at a Technology company. All of my experiences have made me someone who can be ready for change, bring good habits that I learned from one job into another job, and given me a wide variety of people in my network. I know very few people who have jobs that are directly related to the diploma that they earned. I know someone with a Master's Degree in marketing whose is a manager in an Accounting department. It can take a long time for you to find a passion and those passions can change over time. I would say allow yourself to be open to changes. Get a college education like a Liberal Arts degree which allows you to be exposed to a wide variety of jobs. Mostly I would say, never regret the journey that it takes for you to find your passion. Every step is an opportunity to learn and grow.
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Keri’s Answer

Hi Jonathan,

What a great question and a tough one to answer. If I change any part of the path I took to get to my career, would I still have ended up here, doing something I love? Maybe.

I work in Commercial Real Estate Management and I love what I do. The path I took to get here was filled with challenges, detours and incredible satisfaction in knowing that I could overcome some of my personal fears and professional roadblocks. At every "wrong" turn I took, I found that there were valuable lessons I could take with me to the next position. Those lessons enabled me to grow, gave me confidence and helped me master some skills that would fit well into where I have landed.

While I can't regret any of the decisions I made to get to this place, I do wish I would have accepted that not knowing your lifelong career choice, when you are 18, is ok. Some people know right away, and some people figure it out by doing other things first, just do what works for you.

Good luck to you! Please reach out if you have any other questions! :)
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Stacey’s Answer

Hi Jonathan,

Yes and No, I loved what I do as a Private Banker and can't see myself doing anything else. I enjoy helping people reach their financial goals and the challenge of helping them structure there large purchases. The thing I would change is that I went to college for merchandising and retailing and never used that degree at all. I wish that I have gotten a degree in finance or business as this would have helped my career. My advise would be to explore the different jobs that you think you would like to do and reach out to people in those fields for what the reality is of what they are doing. The more people you reach out to the better idea you will have of which path you would like to take. Good Luck!
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Lakesha’s Answer

I'm currently a manager in Sales at Verizon Wireless. I've been with the company for 7 years. I have learned so much with this company and my only wish is I should of applied earlier in my life. The stability, the job security, the leadership, the benefits and so much more. Early on in my life my focus was on the hours and of course the pay. My vision now is more deeper because of the many opportunities I have experienced with this company. My mom use to say with age comes wisdom and now I totally understand. I can honestly say that I Love my career path and what I do everyday. Not only am I helping others, I help with building an Exceptional team that aligns with my company expectations.

I would suggest narrowing down your list of things you are good at and enjoying doing. Whatever career path you choose to travel down make sure it is something that you actually like and can make a difference doing. Good Luck in your searching for your career path!
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Christopher’s Answer

Hey Jonathan,

Absolutely not. I love what I do and I love my next career choice. I am currently serving with the US Government helping out disaster survivors and other wonderful stuff like that. My contract ends next year and I will become a firefighter for 10 years and join the FBI in their HRT (Hostage Response Team). Honestly I am very content with the career choices I have made and it's like I've gotten lucky. I'm only 19 years old and I have more experience than most adults will have in their life.
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Kevin’s Answer

No!! I am a commercial Credit Analyst (I analyze the companies my bank lends money to, to make sure they can pay us back)

now its not a bad job, I am not breaking rocks in the hot sun!! it been good, and paid a lot of bills and provided for me!

but it is not a job that gives me great personal satisfaction

I am not sure I picked it as much as I got lead into it (good opportunity at the time

I would recommend you take an aptitude test, determine what your core interest are and try to find a job that
will be meaningful to you! one you can enjoy and excel at because it is of interest to you
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Melissa’s Answer

Hi Jonathan,

I recently graduated and have only been with my job, Fannie Mae for six months now. Although my career is just getting started, I am very thankful for choosing a business degree in college. I had to work a lot harder than some of my other friends that picked easier majors, but it has paid off. I have great job security, a nice salary, and a flexible work environment. These three things were important to me and that's why I picked a business degree to get this career outcome.
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