Sticking Spaghetti and Figuring It Out

It's easy to get lost when finding what path to take in your career.

Before uni, you’d think you’ve got it all figured out, sure most people do, but for us the 10% who have to wait until the night to graduation day to realize that we got nothing, it gets harder later.

You may have thought and depended on what you studied in school to be the route to a successful career in future…

Then everything comes slamming down.

You realize the system is flawed, there isn't any job waiting out there for you, 9 - 5 is modern day slavery, you want to live your life doing the things you love, no one's giving you a handout, and you lack talent.

All these weigh on you and voila, you're one more sad person in the world.

I wish I could help you figure it out, but, I'm in that maze too.

Here's what I can say tho:

FIGURE IT OUT!

Hold your horses and let me explain.

Have you ever heard the phrase “It's like throwing spaghetti on the wall to see which one sticks”?

I know someone fond of saying that.

However, when you hear that phrase, what comes to mind?

For me, I think it entails a hopeless gesture at trying different ideas with no clue on how to fix a problem.

Do you see the picture?

Well if you do, then you know we don't like that picture.

No one wants to be hopeless, I don't want to look hopeless, let alone be hopeless.

So with a phrase like that in mind, it's easy to assume there's only ONE DEFINITE WAY in life, in this case, in your career path.

But you know, that hasn't stopped me from throwing spaghetti.

I like to think of myself as a scientist, never scared of a little experiment, so whenever I have an idea about anything, I try to try it out.

Often, and so far, I haven't had much luck with them sticking to the wall.

But I hopelessly try to keep trying.

Some years ago, I thought I was sure I wanted a career as a makeup artist, and then gradually migrate into a lot of other beauty stuff.

Then I thought I was going to be a fitness coach.

Today I’m hell bent on being a writer.

And honestly, it's not been a swift switch, because I constantly have to deal with imposter syndrome and reality.

Reality that most people my age are ahead and I'm yet to figure things out.

I'm learning to be a lot patient tho, since my mom is welcoming and hospitable enough to still put up with her 25-year-old. I'm taking advantage of that and not rushing my learning and experiments.

Your situation might be a lot difficult and different from mine, but here's an experiment you can try:

• Write down all the things you know how to do, if you don’t know how to do anything, I recommend you get started on acquiring skills.
• In order of what is presently your greatest passion, write those skills down

And how you can use them.

• Find a way to do that which is your greatest passion and show it off to the rest of the world
• Then find a way to show the rest of the world your other skills while maintaining strongly the first skill

Nitching down kills, I don't recommend. Do it all if you can.

But it's deadlier if you don't even give it a shot.

As hopeless as that phrase about spaghetti and a wall may seem, truth is, it does recognize that there is a chance it will stick.

It's going to be a long road at best, but we will get there, so let's start throwing some spaghetti and figuring it out!