Growing up, this is the part of the career picking process that people neglect to tell you about. It is all well and good deciding that you want to be a teacher or an actress or a lawyer but, when it actually comes down to it and your chosen path doesn't work out for you, it is extremely difficult to try and choose another career due to the E word. The plan is sugar-coated for you when you're in school, you're made to think that it will all be so easy for you and it isn't until you leave that the rose tinted glasses are removed and you're faced with the bleak reality that you have to fight to get where you want to be. We shouldn't be made to think that university is the answer to everything as, once you have obtained a degree, jobs just fall into your lap as this is most certainly not the case.
I know that constant struggle with decisions is part of growing up but having to decide when you're 16 what you want to do until you're 65 is too much to ask. When you have decided and know that this particular job is what you want to do for the rest of your working life, you are thrown into turmoil again when it doesn't work out and you have to alter your plan. All those years of thinking and planning go up in smoke and you're at square one again... However, this time, you don't have 5/6 years to plan where you want to be in 10 years time, you have months, maybe a year to think and decide what you want to do if you want a decent career.
I did a degree that I really enjoyed, English Literature, and I did well. However, I have been out of university 2 years this year and I am working in a lingerie shop which I certainly do not need a degree to do. My plan was to become a teacher but after 3 years of treading on this career path and getting nowhere, I am thinking it is not meant to be. Therefore, after meticulous planning over the space of 4 years, I now have to rethink everything. I want to do something new, exciting and with a prospect of a long career, however, there is a problem with this new plan, the E word! I have only worked in the retail, education and customer service sectors, all of which will be no good for my new career path (well it's a partial plan... Pieces are still falling into place) as, in the business world, this type of experience is no good.
The easiest answer to this rant is to get the experience I need to get me on my way, but how can you do that when no one will give you a chance to shine?
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