Career Q&A

Question:

Answer:

Don't worry if you don't yet know what to do "when you grow up." There are huge pressures on young people to make early career decisions. Although I recognize the wasted expense of pursuing an education in a field that may not lead to your "dream career," I believe it is entirely unreasonable to expect a twenty-year-old who has had little experience of the work world to be able to make final career choices.

You are lucky to have learned that computer science may not be for you. Now use your experience in computer science to identify exactly what you don't like. There must be a few aspects of the courses you are taking that you enjoy. What are they? Consider the educational, extracurricular, volunteer, and work experiences you've had over the last six years. These can provide fertile ground for self-assessment.  

Do you prefer to work alone or in a group environment? Do you like thinking about and solving complex problems? Are you a leader? Are you someone who makes things happen? Do you write well? Are you good at giving in-class presentations? What subject matter most engaged you, and what kind of issues do you like to think about in your courses? How do other people (friends, teachers, students, co-workers) describe you?

If you write down the answers to these questions, you will have a rich profile of your strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. Instead of worrying about your long-term career goals, just narrow your focus to a general field of study. In this stage of your life, you must keep your options open. Get the best possible education that you have the intellectual and financial capacity to pursue--one that will give you the greatest number of choices in the long run. Then you can decide whether to get a job after graduation or to go on to graduate school for more academic or professional training.

There is no magic bullet for finding the right career. It's mostly a question of trial and error. The most successful and happy adults I know are those who weathered some self-doubt while finding the right field. Fortunately, there is no absolute finish line. You may graduate and, still uncertain as to what you want to do, take a job that provides you with further information about your underlying interests and aptitudes. As far as test and books go, your university guidance counselor should be able to recommend a few. Personally, I'm not a great believer in vocational tests. The kind of self-assessment I described above is usually more productive.

One final word of caution: Make sure that you really want to leave the computer field. The process of preparing for a career is usually not very representative of the actual work you will do. Was it the nature of being a student or computer-specific coursework that killed your interest in the field?

Q: I recently left a job I held for more than two years. The company was bought out and management changed. I just took off, never giving my two-week notice, but this was the first time in 15 years that I ever quit a job unprofessionally. Can this really hurt me? How should I handle it in an interview?

A: Ouch! Definitely not a career-fostering move, but what's done is done. Fortunately, most employers will ask why you left your previous job, not the precise details surrounding how you left. When answering the "why did you leave?" question, try to avoid giving too much information. Simply indicate that you did not feel comfortable with the new management style. Don't over-explain and don't offer answers to questions not asked.

Some potential employers will follow up with your previous employer, making your job search more difficult. But, given the hot job market and assuming you "present" well in terms of your skills and work experiences, there's a decent chance that other employers will not check out your history. You will not have a reference from the old employer, of course, which may seem a bit odd. With 15 years of experience, however, I'm certain you have a few positive references to draw upon.