(Excerpt from Introduction of Test Drive Your Future)
Life is a journey, not a destination.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher and poet
We’re sure that you have seen this quote many times in your life, and if you haven’t, just wait until you start reading the cards you’ll get for your graduation! But what does it mean exactly? It means that life isn’t so much about getting to wherever it is you’re going, but more about enjoying the ride along the way. Throughout this book we will be referring to the journey of life, but we won’t be talking much about the destination or what you see along the way so much as how to choose the “vehicles” you’ll be driving during your trip through life—what we call your “career vehicles.”
You have probably ridden in or driven many different kinds of real vehicles so far—tricycles, bicycles, skateboards, motorbikes, ATVs, golf carts, maybe even your first car, but as far as our metaphorical vehicles are concerned, you’ve probably only been driving what we call the “student vehicle” since your first day of school. Not only that, but you have been driving on a closed course, meaning that you have been following a path where pretty much every aspect of your journey has been laid out for you by someone else.
All of that is about to change.
Once the high school portion of your journey is complete you have a chance to not only choose which direction you want to go next, but also to choose your next “vehicle.” Regardless of whether college is in your plans or not, you need to take the time now to seriously think about your first “career vehicle.” If you do choose to go on to college, yes, technically you will still be a student, however, it is important to get used to the idea of trading in that “student vehicle,” because the choices you make related to college—your major, degree, internships, even the school itself—are all connected to, and sometimes critical to, your success in your future career.
It’s Your Time and Your Money (or Your Parents’ Money)
When you (or more likely at this point, your parents) are buying a real car, you usually put a good deal of time, thought, and research into the decision because it’s such a big investment of your money and the time it takes to earn that money. Not only that, but once you buy it, you’re stuck with it for a while, so you want to make sure it is a good fit! This is even more true of the “vehicle” you choose for your career. How so? Consider how much time you will invest in your future career:
The average person spends over one-third of their waking lives between ages 22 and 62 working. That’s at least 72,000 hours!
Now, let’s factor in how much time and money you might invest in your future career if you are going to college:
- The average college student takes 15 credit hours every semester for four years, which is about 1,800 hours sitting in class. Plus, with at least two hours of additional weekly study time per credit hour, they will spend another 3,600 hours preparing for class. That’s a minimum of 5,400 hours spent getting an education to prepare yourself for your future career!
- The average asking price for four years at an in-state public college (including tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other expenses) is $60,852. The average asking price for four years at an out-of-state public college is $106,964. The average asking price for four years at a private college is $142,544. And that’s before you factor in paying back loans!
- The average student who graduates with debt from a public four-year college carries $17,700 in student loans, and will end up paying an extra $6,743 in interest. The average student who graduates from a private four-year college with debt will leave with $23,800 in loans and have to pay $8,525 in interest.
- The average wage for an American worker with a bachelor’s degree is $25/hour. At this rate it would take 2,434 hours of work to pay for the average public college students’ education, 4,279 hours to pay for the average out-of-state public college students’ education, and 5,702 hours of work to pay for the average private college students’ education (and even more hours when you factor in the taxes taken out of your paycheck)!
Would You Buy a Car Without Test Driving It?
So, back to the idea of buying a car. What would you do if you were planning to buy a car that costs between $20,000 and $30,000, knowing that you would be making monthly payments on it for the next 5 to 10 years? You wouldn’t buy the first thing you see, right? First, you would give some serious thought to what you are looking for in a car, what your needs are, and of course, your budget. Next, you would explore the different makes and models and narrow them down to a few choices that seem like a good fit for you. Then, before you lay any money on the table or sign on the dotted line, wouldn’t you test drive a few of your choices before agreeing to buy something?
Why would the process be any different when choosing a future career? We don’t think it should be, but unfortunately a lot of students were never taught how to choose a “career vehicle,” and end up in college majors or careers that are not a good fit. Here’s proof:
- Up to 80% of college-bound students are undecided about their major and more than half of college students change their majors two to three times before they graduate.
- Due to changes in majors (among other factors), only 36% of students graduate in four years, and 40% of college students have still not earned a degree after their sixth year.
- Up to 77% of college graduates are not working in the field of their college major within four years of graduation.
The above statistics wouldn’t really be such a problem if more people were happy with their jobs, but over half of all working Americans report feeling unsatisfied with their careers.
Choosing a career or a college major without researching it first is like buying a car without test driving it. You might end up with something that’s just not the right fit. You would be pretty upset if you went to drive your new vehicle off the lot and realized that your feet couldn’t reach the pedals, or that the car wasn’t fast enough to suit your needs. You would probably be even more upset if you spent years of your life and thousands of dollars preparing for a career that isn’t a good fit.
You may have been taught (as we were) that you absolutely must go to college right after high school, and if you don’t know what you want to do in regard to a major or career, that’s ok, because you can just figure it out while you are there. That sounds great in theory, but that’s not how it works for most of us. We have spoken with countless college grads who thought they would “figure it out” while in college, yet upon graduating, still didn’t have a clue as to what they wanted to do with their lives (and some still don’t). They are angry at themselves for not giving enough thought before they started school to what they would actually do after graduation. A lot of these grads would like a second chance, an opportunity to change their majors or careers, but because of living expenses and the student loan debt they have already accumulated, they feel financially stuck—many without jobs or in jobs they don’t like.
You don’t have to end up in a situation similar to these grads! Regardless of whether you plan to go to college, straight into the workforce, or take a “gap year” in between, the processes in this book can help you do things differently by test driving your future before choosing a career path.
Proof that You Can Find the Perfect Career
We conducted dozens of interviews with professionals and will share their insights with you throughout this book. They are real people, working in a wide variety of careers, who all love their work. We interviewed these professionals to prove that it is possible to find a career that fits you perfectly, and that you can wake up in the morning and look forward to going to work (maybe not every single day, but most days). Here are samples of what some of them had to say:
The best advice I ever received when I was in high school was, “Figure out what you love, then find out how you can get paid for it.” I love working with people and helping them. That is the most rewarding part of being a doctor… Do what you love, then it doesn’t seem like work.
—Carolyn, chiropractor
I never felt like I really had a “job.” I just did what I loved. At the time the paycheck didn’t really seem connected to what I did.
—Barbara, retired high school English teacher
It’s not just important, it’s crucial to… [find a job that you love]. Find a job that you love, and even after the worst days, you’ll still want to go back. After working in a computer lab, I realized that if I worked with computers for a living, I would hate what I did. I am very happy I made the choice that I did.
—Matt, 911 public safety telecommunicator
I think the only way to truly give everything you can is to love your career. In nursing especially, if you do not like what you’re doing, the patients are able to tell, and feel that they are not getting the best care possible. I considered other career choices before deciding on nursing, and none of them really got me excited. I knew that I wanted to be working with people face-to-face rather than spending my days sitting behind a desk.
—Cathleen, registered nurse
I have been in the aviation industry for over 20 years in some shape or form, and still, when I get up near an airplane, I get goose bumps. I get to fuel planes (both commercial and private), work with people who are enthusiasts of aviation like myself, have an office which is outside year-round, and have fun doing it.
—Steven, line manager for an aviation fixed base operation company
Americans spend at least one-quarter of their week at their job, so picking something that you love is extremely important. If you pick a career you dislike, you are wasting one-quarter of your life! I definitely considered what I love when I chose my career.
—Brad, dental student
I think it’s important for all people to choose a LIFE they love. For most of us, a job or career we love is a big part of that equation. It definitely is for me. This is the first job I’ve had that I actively, genuinely want to go to, and it makes a huge difference in how I feel about myself and the work that I spend my time doing.
—Kate, young adult librarian
It’s very important to find something that you love. If you find something that you love to do, that brings you satisfaction, it makes the rest of your life so much better. In the past, when I had a job that was unsatisfying it affected my whole attitude about life, not just my attitude at work. In my case, I’m a passionate supporter of affordable housing, so I made a choice to work for a company that specializes in building affordable housing.
—Elizabeth, construction project manager
Our hope for our readers is that someday you will also be able to say, “I love what I do!” about your career, just like the professionals we interviewed. The purpose of this book is to help make that possible.
How This Book Can Help You
Choosing your first career should be like selecting the perfect new car—not only should it be fun during the process, but when it’s all said and done, you get to drive home something you’re really confident and excited about. And just as you may own multiple cars in your lifetime—trading them in when your budget, preferences, or lifestyle needs change—you’ll probably have a number of different careers as well. While it is possible that you could choose a career that will keep you satisfied for the rest of your working life, for now all you need to do is discover what your first career might be. This book will lead you through ten key “mile markers” on the road to doing just that.
Section One of the book helps you explore who you are—your skills, interests, personality, and values—so you know where to begin your career search. Think about it as the research you would do before setting foot on a car dealership lot. Then we will take you career “shopping.” You’ll look at hundreds of different “vehicles” and assemble all the careers that sound interesting to you into your own personal “Career Lot.” Once you have a list assembled, then it’s time for Section Two, “The Test Drive”! This section helps you test drive and select a “vehicle” that’s the perfect fit for you. Section Three gives you several tools and resources you will need to successfully navigate through life with your newly chosen career.
Now, if are you ready to test drive your future, we invite you to pick up your own copy of the book at Amazon.
