Unpredictability: Exciting or Terrifying?
For many years, I worked in a “safe career.” I made good money, went to work every day, worked hard, and knew that I’d most likely have a job for as long as I wanted, as I worked in a field with a high demand for employees with my qualifications.
When I was younger, change and uncertainty frightened me. I had to have a plan, and I had to follow the plan whenever possible. I didn’t like surprises. However, as I got older, I became more “daring.” Well, not really daring, but I was more willing to take some risks.
One of the biggest risks I took was going back to graduate school and pursuing a career in teaching at the college level. After doing(extensive research (yes, I had to have a plan!), I realized pretty quickly that a full-time position with benefits and predictability was probably not going to happen for quite some time, especially since I wasn’t geographically flexible.
So I knew that if I wanted to pursue my dream of teaching, I had to be flexible and tolerate unpredictability. Better yet, I had to change my thinking and attitude and view unpredictability as an exciting opportunity; that way, I would be able to truly enjoy my new career.
After working in my new career for over six years, throughout which my schedule has been, and will likely continue to be, unpredictable, I have learned to see the excitement in unpredictability for the most part. I enjoy the challenges of new classes, new students, and new settings. However, I also try to make things “more predictable” by:
- Working a few hours per week in a “safe” and consistent job that provides continuous income
- Continuously networking and keeping in touch with people in the field; I have found all of my jobs informally, through people I know
- Cherishing and valuing time off and enjoying it to the fullest; that way I’m ready to take on lots of work when it’s available
- Making sure I have sufficient savings so that I can handle “dry spills”
Questions to Consider
- Are you comfortable with unpredictability? If not, what can you do to become more flexible?
- Is your chosen career predictable or unpredictable? If it’s unpredictable, what can you do to make it “more predictable?”
Be well,
Andrea