Embracing Your Unique Career Journey

Over the years, many designers have shared stories of how they got into tech and how their journeys have been so far. One thing I can assure you is that no story is the same. Their stories may share common themes like perseverance, Grit, hard work, and preparation for opportunities but when it comes to the How, when, and who it’s different.

As the year ends, it’s a custom to reflect and ask questions about how it went. Was I able to meet the goals I set for myself? List of wins and Losses, and what lessons can I take to the next year? I spend a lot of time thinking about my career and it's tempting to make comparisons. Statements like "I should be (insert grand expectation here) by now" tend to make me feel like there is something I'm not doing right or I'm inefficient. I make a mental list of things that I don't have that places me at a disadvantage. And believe me, it's a long list that tends to make me feel like all odds are against me. Which isn't necessarily true.

In Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, my favourite read of the year, he shared success stories of people like Bill Gates, Joe Flom, and The Beatles. He made comparisons between Robert Oppenheimer and Chris Langan, two geniuses who had different life outcomes and we see that these outcomes were based on factors that are to an extent beyond their control. Factors like what families they were born into, where they grew up, the socioeconomic conditions of their countries at the times they were born, and access to education and information. These factors expose us to distinct advantages while we face unique challenges.

What Gladwell achieved by writing this book was to show that success is beyond working hard or perfecting a skill with 10,000 hours of practice because there are other factors in play which we cannot control. What is important is paying attention to the opportunities available and making the most of what is in our hands; focusing on what we can control.

A few years ago it was somewhat easier to land a job, now the job market is overly saturated. Things are different now and these changes shape our overall career journeys. It is important to be adaptable to the changing times because that's the only way to get ahead and make progress.

So as we wrap up the year, wherever we are in our careers let's embrace it, be grateful for it and find practical ways to get to where we want to be.

Happy holidays!!

P.S. You should read Outliers if you haven't, I recommend it.