People like to tell you what to do with your life. I have had many people tell me I should be a doctor.
Why? They said that I had a good bedside manner. This is what doctors and others have told me when I have helped them with computer things.
Why am I sharing this with you? I have to laugh because this morning I remembered something my personal doctor who knows me the best, said to me. It was early in my IT career and I was still debating if I should be a doctor or psychologist.
I told her that many people said that being a doctor would be a good use of my talents, but I shared with her I wasn’t so sure about it. She asked if I was happy doing IT and I was, and that medicine and being a doctor wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She wasn’t bitter, but just realistic that the fantasy I had been sold may not make me happier.
I thanked her for her feedback. I decided that I would continue down the IT path.
That was a long time ago and I haven’t regretted doing IT. It has not been easy and there have been many challenges and mistakes I have made, but I have learned and grown and now I am helping companies in ways that I never thought I could before. Instead of just fixing the small issues, I get involved with the big issues. It is a wonderful feeling and something that I will always enjoy.
No this isn’t to brag, but just to share that your life isn’t a vote on other peoples desires. You have to plot your own course and accept the consequences.