So last week on Wednesday, two of the other interns and I had our first shadowing experience. What that means is that the intern coordinator at Phoenix Sister Cities works really hard to get us great experience outside of our every day work. Based on what we've told him about our career interests, he sets up meetings for us to learn more about that topic from someone in the field.
This first shadowing was just a general shadowing experience that he sets up for all his interns; it was with the Assistant to the City Manager of Phoenix. She was so friendly and welcoming and she talked to us for 45 minutes about what she loves about her job, how she got there, what she does on a daily basis, etc.
The one thing I took away from what she said though had little to do about her job with the city of Phoenix. She told us that we shouldn't think of a career as just one ladder, but multiple ladders branching out from each other. If we set our sights on one ladder and what it takes to get to the top, then we'll miss out on all the other opportunities that we could have had, had we not been so focused on one goal. Basically, she told us that it's alright that we are unsure of what we want to do in life (which all three of us are); simply having an internship and getting that experience will show us more about what we do and don't want, and will open up new possible ladders to explore.
It was comforting to hear this, because lately I've been stressing over the fact that I really don't have a path planned out and a career that I know I want to achieve upon graduation. But after this shadowing experience I am a little bit more at ease, trying to tell myself that I am making good strides and not everything needs to be planned out. It's comforting to know that a job doesn't have to turn into a lifelong career; I can chip away at different things, hop from one ladder to the next, and eventually find the place I am meant to be.
It's nice to be reminded that a career is not just an attempt to make it to the top before we retire. Or to make X salary before we turn X years old. The figure and age a person sets as a goal is just random, arbitrarily set because we figure we should achieve something by some date somehow. It's good to be ambitious and to realize that we need money to survive, but we have to enjoy the opportunities that come our way, too.
ReplyDeleteI've jumped from claims processor at an insurance company, to a trainer at a gym, to an accountant for a non-profit, to a clerk at the city. All of those jobs I have liked in one way or another, and all have led to new ideas, contacts, and opportunities. Good for you for enjoying dinner, not just waiting for desert!