What if the key to figuring out your dream career wasn’t just about your own ideas and ambitions, rather, the experiences of those who’ve already built theirs? What if success wasn’t something you had to figure out alone, but something you could learn by studying those who came before you?
Those were the types of questions we were asking ourselves during our most recent careers project, Mentor for a Day. To develop an answer to these questions, the teachers gave us the responsibility to:
– Find a job that you’re potentially interested in pursuing
– Connect with businesses of that expertise
– Schedule an interview with that business
This whole process may sound easy peasy, but it’s a lot harder than you think. You see, lots of businesses simply don’t have the time to give advice to teenagers. Personally, I’m interested in architecture, so I researched a series of nearby architect firms, and luckily enough, Campos Studio were nice enough to educate me.
I’m not going to say too much about the experience on here as Seycove’s PLP 10 created the first season of Mentor for a Day in which you can find my podcast (will post link here as soon as published) to learn all about the experience.
When the Mrs. McWilliam launched this project, it reminded me a lot of a previous project, what was it again? Yes, Take Your Kid to Work Day (but on steroids). Except this time around, as I mentioned before, we had much more responsibility and independence, which I actually liked. It simulated something in the lines of a job interview in terms of the preparation. This whole project felt like a big step in career maturity.
Now onto the Driving Question!
How can learning from others’ career journeys help us shape our own?
I once heard the quote « There is no such thing as a bad student- only a bad teacher ». To an extent, I this there is some truth in this quote. You see, we’re merely a reflection of the environment we live in whether that be your house, financial situation, or most of all, the people we surround ourselves with.
« Research indicates that your social circle significantly influences your likelihood of becoming obese. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that if a close friend becomes obese, your risk of obesity increases by 57%. This effect is even more pronounced among mutual friends, with the risk rising by 171% if a mutual friend becomes obese »(source). This proves the fact that your social environment will indirectly influence your life decisions. By learning from those that we aspire to emulate, we can all be successful- it’s just about picking the right people. Whether we value their career, intelligence, lifestyle, etc. It all comes down to the people you surround yourself with.
Learning from others career journeys, offers us new insights that can help us shape our own in the most effective way possible. Through analyzing their successes, mistakes, failures, etc. We can ensure we learn from their experiences, and optimize our own.
Additionally, learning from a range of perspectives will multiply our knowledge base, spark fresh ideas, and possibly, even change our goals. Mentorship, networking, or simply observing our role models (what PLP 10 did), we can efficiently boost our growth as well as help us structure a fulfilling career that provides us with what we need for the future.
For more on my preparation leading to the interview, visit my links:
https://s.craft.me/ZZXOcV6ToNdPud
https://s.craft.me/r3xtyqK9Uj3bZH
https://s.craft.me/xPyUD9WfmxrfzP