What are some tips for people who feel they've started on the wrong job path? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Joshua Reeves, CEO and co-founder of Gusto, on Quora.
If you feel you're on the wrong career path, my main advice would be to make a change. Life is long and full of many chapters. If you talk with your mentors or read books about other people, you'll realize that nearly everyone has had many chapters in their lives.
Several years ago, I remember chatting with a friend who was two years out of college. He mentioned that he had spent the prior two years doing one job and he didn't know if there was anything else he could do. All he had learned about was this one job and so he didn't feel equipped to do anything else. I wanted to shake him and tell him that if he fast-forwarded two years from that point, he could know just as much about something else entirely as he did about the job he was currently doing.
It's easy to get caught up in the present and constrain our own possibilities. Steve Jobs gave a wonderful talk on this topic.
His commentary is about building things, but this isn't just about tech startups or a business. It's a mindset of constant improvement, and not accepting the way things are as the way they should be. It's thinking about how things could be and then acting upon those insights.
One way to transition professionally is to go back to school. A professional degree is a simple way to reset and change one's career path. At the same time, it isn't for everyone. There's a high cost attached and it also can't be repeated as easily. People will have several chapters in their lives and so getting good at the transition between chapters is something that everyone gets used to.
Another way to change paths is to start doing the other type of work you're interested in. It might be on weekends as a volunteer. It could be learning things online. It could be helping a friend with a project. All of these activities will give you exposure and help you decide whether you like the type of work. It also gives you stories to talk about if or when you're interviewing for a different type of job. Then when you get asked about why you're interested in the new area, your answer won't just be words. It will be stories and anecdotes about what you've learned, what you've tried, and all the things you want to explore.
Experimentation helps us understand what we like. Sitting in a room and asking ourselves, "What do I want to do with my life?" doesn't often lead to happy outcomes. First, it implies that there is one single answer, when in fact life is a journey with many chapters along the way. Second, it's hard to answer the question without context and without doing things. If you haven't experienced what you're thinking of doing, then how do you know you'll enjoy it? That's what internships and summer jobs are all about. Even volunteer gigs or shadowing a friend for a day. All of these experiences give you exposure to different types of work and you can find out what resonates with you.
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