I recently had a conversation with a young man who was referred to me as a career mentee. He is in college for computer science, with skills in programming embedded devices and an impressive passion for his projects. Despite the energy he had for the field, he expressed hesitation starting a career in it. I was a bit shocked. My first instinct was to question why. My second instinct was to lecture him about experience, opportunity, and whatnot. However, I began to reflect on his statement and realized this reluctance to commit is something I, and possibly many other entrepreneurs, still experience.
So what can keep someone from pursuing an opportunity in a career they are truly passionate and skilled in – arguably the “dream life”? A number of things can get in the way of us taking advantage of something we truly want or believe can launch us to where we want to go. Arbitrarily, I will name 5 that I identified while reflecting.
1) Believing you have to make the right choice first.
While speaking with this young man, he mentioned not knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his career, which is a normal condition in college. That uncertainty, however, should be no reason not to take action in some direction. This is commonly called “paralysis by analysis.” It would be like staring over a beach with a shovel, afraid to dig because you don’t know exactly where a piece of treasure might be. Meanwhile, that same time could be spent combing the sand over with a metal detector. By favoring a bias towards action, you increase your odds of stumbling upon your treasure – in this case, a career path – from zero percent to a fairly strong maybe.
2) Fear of getting stuck in a dead end.
This one goes hand-in-hand with the previous one except, rather than an uncertainty of where to start, it involves an uncertainty of where you’ll finish. Let me preface this by saying that one of the greatest career mistakes you can make is getting a whole lot of experience in the wrong thing. However, give a position some time, and if it doesn’t work out for you, it’s fairly easy to quit and take the industry experience with you to find a better fit. Don’t fall for the sunk cost fallacy that you need to stay somewhere to get back the investment you’ve already put in. Telling an employer, “I left after 6 months because it didn’t fulfill my career goals,” sounds a lot better than, “I did nothing for 2 years because I was paralyzed with fear.”
3) Doubt in one’s own skills.
Oftentimes, particularly in technology, an individual entering the career field might feel overwhelmed with what might be expected of them. The wake-up call I have for you is this: you will never grow unless you are a little bit underqualified for your position. Never stop looking for skills and education in your field, and I encourage taking a chance at getting paid to learn versus paying for the same. So long as your abilities aren’t exceptionally below your pay rate, you are probably looking at the best chance you have at refining the skills you want. Remember, while a realistic view of one’s skills is great, don’t let that become an unrealistic assessment of your potential.
4) Losing passion once money’s in the equation.
This is a hard one to address. A lot of people may have a chance to enter a career in something they are earnestly skilled and passionate about, but don’t want to risk losing that love once it becomes “work.” If this is the situation you’re in, you may be looking at the wrong career. It’s rare to find that one position that lets you live out your dream career scenario, so holding out for that offer is playing a lottery with bad odds. If you feel that this may be the case, it’s probably better to find it out sooner than later.
5) Excuses, excuses.
By definition, a job involves work, and getting ahead in a career will almost always involve working hard or working smart, and usually a bit of both. It always seems great to imagine yourself in your fantasy position earning a perfect salary with your retirement plan nested away…until you factor in the effort it takes to get there. Being face to face with the opportunity, it’s not uncommon to have second thoughts about committing to the work it takes to succeed. My answer to this is to just jump headlong into the cold water. From there you can choose to swim to deeper water or back to shore, but either way you’re forced to work. The hardest part is always getting started, so make that first commitment so there’s no room for excuses or laziness.
In conclusion, don’t hesitate to get started in your career. When in doubt, stay biased towards taking action and keeping momentum moving forward, rather than hesitantly staying still. While many questions arise along each given career path, train yourself to take action at opportunities, and almost any doubts or concerns you have will be figured out or dispelled early on.