I was out with a couple of Mohawk alumni talking about how they got into their chosen careers. Glenn was a freshly minted high school graduate with no idea what to do. He ran into a Mohawk professor at a College Pub Night who convinced him to give our Insurance program a try. Glenn took him up on the offer and after graduation was given a job as an insurance adjuster, complete with company car.
Glenn showed up to football paractice and impressed his teammates with his shiny new Malibu. Joe and several other guys heard the story about the insurance program and thought they'd give it a try too.
Glenn, Joe and several others from that team remain in the Insurance industry today at very senior levels, 30 years plus after graduation.
In an earlier post I discussed how an equally bizarre set of circumstances led me into the Banking industry where I had an 18 year reasonably successful career.
So what's the point? The number of young people that know what they are going to be "when they grow up" is pretty small. There's no shortage of freshly minted graduates with no idea where to go next. If you're in this category you are not alone.
I've always envied people that had a hobby or special skill that they could turn into a career. Making a living at something that you are passionate about is an ideal situation, be it music, writing, sports, travel - whatever.
But a lot of people either don't have that passionate interest or simply haven't discovered it yet. Glenn and Joe certainly weren't passionate about insurance that day on the football field but they are poster children for the industry now.
I guess the advice I'm giving is don't be frustrated and certainly don't give up. You may have to try a few different careers or even hit the re-start button and head in an entirely new direction. Find out what's out there - ask lots of questions, use whatever contacts you have available.
Your dream job may come to you from the most unlikely source and probably be something you never even imagined doing.
Good luck!
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