In this Diary I am going to tell a story and ask a question. First the question, then my story below the fold and the answer to my own question. If you could head back to the day you entered college, knowing what you know now, would you choose a different career path? And if so, what would it be and why?
My Story/Background
I went to college at a large state school for only one reason, to play golf. I have no idea how I passed enough classes to get my high school diploma, other than the fact the Athletic Director was the golf coach and I was the best player on a team that was 132-3 my four years in high school.
When I got into college I'd never even read a single book. Why, I was going to make my living playing golf. Quickly reality reared its ugly head. I got to play against a few folks that now are on the tour and well known names. It was very clear I wasn't nearly as good as I thought I was.
I needed to go to Plan B, but I didn't have a Plan B. My father, a former college professor with a PhD in Military History suggested maybe it might be a good idea to go to class and pay attention and figure out what I wanted to do from there.
I quickly got interested in psychology. Found out I was really good at the "book learning" thing and pretty much never got another grade that wasn't an A. Being somewhat OCD I focused on I/O (Industrial Organizational) Psychology. But needed some grad school to get a job in that field, and alas my math GRE scores were too low to get into the dozen or schools that offered a program at that time.
Knowing this might happen, I had a fallback plan which was to use my minor to attend grad school in Journalism.
I never wanted to work for a paper, instead I wanted to be a political consultant. My thinking was it would be one thing to run for office and win. It would be another to help 10, 15, or 20 people get elected with similar political views.
After grad school I got a job working as the assistant press sectary for a man that would later serve two terms as a governor (term limited). I worked in that job for two weeks. Everything, every stereotype you've heard about how seedy politics is I saw first hand and had no desire to do that.
Needed to pay the bills, so I took a job for next to nothing answering the phones at a small ad agency/design shop. Long story short, I quickly found (as did my bosses) I was really good at advertising. I've now done that for almost 20 years.
If I Could Hit Reset
I'd have done almost nothing I actually planned in my life from a professional point-of-view. I might have decided making a lot of money was the most important evaluation of success and worked to be a teacher. I might have joined the Peace Corps and traveled the world. Heck, I might have sent that application into be a White House Fellow (which I still have the never send app and letters of recommendation). No telling where those things would have taken me.
But in my hearts of hearts I know if I had to do it all over again I would have become an archaeologist and a college professor. Get to travel the world and discover how human become what we are today. Teach students that history is not only important, but cool.
Maybe wrote a book or two. Had a different life.
The happy thing about this, and to a large extent this is a Diary where I am thinking out loud, is I am only 40 years young. I think it might be about time to "reboot" my life and start another career. The one I think I should have started 20+ years ago. The applications are sitting right next to me, just need the motivation to risk my life style and start over.
Conclusion
So if you could hit reset what would you change about how you got to the career you have now? Are there folks that wouldn't change a thing? I am just very interested this Thursday evening on what folks here think cause I don't think I am alone here.