What I Didn't Do With My Career

My wife knows that I write and publish on LinkedIn. She has never read one article I’ve written, has never seen a comment from a viewer, and I’m sure doesn’t really understand why I do it. But, she knows I do it, and out of her frustration due to a perceived (okay, maybe it's a real) lack of progress on the job search front she sat down and wrote out eight titles for articles that I could write. Now, there was a time where I would have taken a look at what she did and I might have gotten mad or upset. Now I look at it as an opportunity to be creative and share my thoughts.

I’ve looked at her list of topic titles and I would not write about all eight as there is some redundancy (as well as anger and frustration woven into her creativity). I may take on a topic or two in the future, but for now I will tackle the first one. The title is a bit awkward, and the topic itself is somewhat existential, but I think it could be applied to any of us if we were to look back at our own careers through the lens of time, perspective, and maybe most importantly, honesty.

Career Choices (the bigger picture)

Today’s generation is going to go through a difficult time when it comes to careers, and there’s just no getting around it. Consider this. A college graduate, trade school grad, military vet, YouTube University student, high school grad or dropout will have to be good at what they do in their job. They're also going to have to be flexible as they may have to move from industry to industry. With no guarantee of longevity or career development they may be asked (pushed) to change companies, industries, and possibly professions in order to move into their next position. The once-upon-a-time belief of being able to grow within a company and within a chosen industry has been replaced by the knowledge that you will need to look over your shoulder, waiting for the tap that will prompt you to leave and pursue your next adventure. And, if corporate greed and a need to improve the bottom line doesn't get you, then the lightning fast speed of AI technology advancement will make some jobs and careers irrelevant - or at least greatly alter the employment landscape.

Knowing that this is going on is it really that hard to understand why young people put their social lives and interests in front of a company’s interests? This generation might have finally figured out what other cultures may have known all along – “living to work” does not compare favorably when stacked up against “working to live”.

How Did We Get To This Point In Our Career?

We all start somewhere. It could have been a networking contact that introduced you. It might have been your own initiative. It might even have been the path of least resistance that you traveled down. Even though I majored in marketing as an undergrad, it took me years to work my way towards Sales & Customer Service, then later into marketing. That was part "path of least resistance" and part "initiative".

We’re All Envious of Each Other – Don’t Let the Joneses Get You Down

Call it serendipity, but while I was listening to the 60’s Satellite Survey on SiriusXM this past Saturday there was a song by The Temptations from 1969 called "Don't Let The Joneses Get You Down" . While that song's lyrics focus on material possessions, it’s fair to say that envy can be career-related too. We’ve all looked at someone else’s job and thought how great it would be to be in their shoes (cue Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good ).

So, what is it that I didn’t do with my career?

Somewhere between that first job out of college and the transition to marriage and kids priorities changed. Those that made the ultimate sacrifice of working crazy hours, commuting ungodly distances, or taking plenty of out of town business trips may have grabbed the brass ring – but in the end was it was worth it? As we’ve all come to learn there aren’t too many of us that on our death beds will have wished that we would have worked longer hours, spent more time on the road, or been happy that we missed our kids sporting events and school activities.

We've all heard the word "potential". Either it's been applied to us or we've applied it to others. Often it turns out that you're right where you belong. We spend so much time thinking about what we didn't accomplish that we cheat ourselves out of appreciating the things we did accomplish. Notice that I didn't actually answer the question, because at this stage of my life (40 years in the workforce) it's not a question that needs to be answered.

What Was - Third Time Lucky

Sky Chefs, DCI, MTF Biologics – These three companies accounted for 26 years of my career. I enjoyed aspects of my time with all three, and the last one listed allowed me to see my kids through elementary, middle, high school, and even a tiny bit of their college years. Stability should not be underrated. I had the chance to work in unique and different industries; do vastly different jobs (all related to business); travel to different parts of the U.S. and Europe; and most importantly, work with some pretty good people doing some pretty good work.

What Is - Where do I go from here? | (Just Like) Starting Over

In many respects I feel like a fresh college grad (only with a truckload of experience). I don't feel like I'm locked into a particular industry. I plan to go back to work. I just need to find the right place that has the right job. I've spent a lot of time over the past year+ chasing what I thought I should be chasing. Now it's time to find something new and different that fits the 2024 version of me.

What Will Never Be - To Be Over

I'm sure we've all looked back and imagined where we might have ended up or what our career lives might have looked like had we done things differently. As for me, if I had the chance to do it all over again I would have found a way to get into the music industry or radio. Probably from a recording and production aspect. That might have meant a different major in college, and it certainly would have resulted in a different path. But that’s the beauty of our imaginations. Now it's time to get back to the life I have - which, by the way is pretty good!

Have a great weekend!

Dave

About David Shultis

For the lion's share of my career I have been a B2B marketing and product management professional. Currently I am redirecting my efforts towards opportunities that will allow me to provide experience in marketing, product management, customer service, inside sales, content writing, office administration or whatever else an organization may have a need for.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (or other states), as well as trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day.

Photo(s) of the week.

I was riding through Pier Village in Long Branch, NJ last Saturday and this picture stopped me in my tracks. Ouch!

I've worked in a few more song titles for a few of the paragraph headings. Below are the answers to "Guess the Artist"

1. Third Time Lucky - Foghat
2. Where Do I Go From Here? - The Carpenters | (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
3. To Be Over - Yes