My career path hasn’t been typical in any way, shape of form. When I graduated (the first time) from university with a Master’s degree in Economics, I was ambitious. I had a pretty good idea of what a successful business career should look like (notice my use of ‘should’) and I embarked on that career thinking I would climb the so-called career ladder towards the top echelons of corporate hierarchies. The problem was, after I stepped on that first rung, I slowly started realizing that I didn’t necessarily want to do all those things that you need to do to have that successful career. I think I had a pretty good idea of what was expected, it just turned out that I wasn’t that interested.

Contrary to what you might think, this blog post isn’t going to be about how I became a corporate leader anyway. Maybe I would have if I had stayed in the corporate world. But I never did reach the top of the corporate career ladder in the way that I had originally planned, because I ended up exploring a lot of interesting side paths and eventually opted out of a business career altogether to become an academic. 

But this is where it gets interesting. When I started working on my PhD, I really didn’t think I wanted an academic career either. To be honest, I was a bit put off by rigid career ideals, and I just wanted to focus on my research and getting my PhD. But like with any world you work in, you tend to get sucked in. Soon I found myself graduating (again) and becoming a doctor and applying for jobs in academia. I was a bit reluctant though because I wasn’t entirely sure that academic work and everything that is expected of you to become successful in academia was for me. 

I felt and still feel passionate about my research, but a big part of it is that it is grounded in my experiences of the business world, and I want to make that world a better place to work. I wanted, and continue to want, my research results shared, spread and disseminated in the world I came from. Also, I didn’t think that many of the routines in the academic world, including the publishing process, seemed very helpful in that respect and I ended up deciding that I actually didn’t want the academic career either. At least not the traditional or expected one. 

But as I said, I felt passionate about my research so I knew I wanted to continue doing that. I was on a mission. I was going to change working life as we know it. And I still feel that way.

So, what did I do? Well, I guess you can say I opted out again. I stepped off the academic career ladder to work on my own terms. My own terms included writing books and other texts that were readily accessible to people outside academia. I understood both worlds – the academic world and the business world – and I wanted to stand firmly with one leg in each world. Art had by then also become a really big part of my life and I wanted to paint and teach silk painting, at least part of the time. All the choices I made were the wrong choices for someone on any career ladder, but they were right for me.

Then, unexpectedly, I was contacted by a university that needed help with certain courses. I, somewhat reluctantly again, decided to help them out because I was in between projects anyway and as a freelancer the extra income is always welcome. But this time I let myself get sucked in because, once again unexpectedly, I liked working at this university. I was encouraged to apply for a position, and I ended up doing that.

But there was a catch. As I already mentioned, I hadn’t prioritized all those things you’re expected to, to be eligible for academic positions. I really didn’t think my CV contained the right things for an academic career.

Well, let me tell you, surprisingly it did, and now I hold a position in the academic world that I never thought I would. I didn’t think I wanted to so I didn’t specifically work to make it happen. But I had still done enough things to make me and my CV competitive. 

Although I never actually started climbing that ladder, I still made it to a relatively high rung. It just goes to show, there are many ways to get to any one destination. 

I tell my students this all the time. Many of them worry about the future and they ask me what mix of courses they should choose and what else they should study or do to optimize their chances of ‘making it’. They read reports and recommendations of what majors and minors to choose, but I tell them to choose what they are really interested in.

When you follow your heart and you do things that you are really interested in, you tend to become good at it. Also, you might just end up with a mix that makes you unique in a world where we tend to streamline things ad absurdum. 

So, no, there is no one way to do things, no one path to take in order to make it to wherever you want to go. I’m not going to tell you what you should be doing, but you can forge your own path. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. You don’t have to follow the ‘expected’ path. 

As for me, I’m good for now, but I make sure to continuously evaluate and reevaluate what I’m doing. Am I still doing what I set out to do? Is what I set out to do still what I want to do? Is what I do still meaningful? And is this the path I still want to be on? These are all important questions. 

Sometimes you realize that your original goal isn’t the goal you want to reach anymore. And sometimes you realize that you want to take another path after all. That’s okay. But whatever it is you decide to do, do it because you want to.

This blog post is from a new book I’m working on: 12 Things to Consider when Opting Out