Detour sign
Shannon K @ flickr

  • Age 18: aimless, knew I wanted to do the sciences in university but didn’t know what to choose. Elected to do Electrical Engineering because my dad was one. Chose to do an additional degree in Commerce because it was only one extra year if I combined it. Bargain!
  • Age 18-23: Struggled through the hardcore maths and physics units because I could not visualise the theories. Did ok in the Commerce units because it was more “real world” to me and so I understood it better. Got depressed towards the end because I was an above average student at best and wondered how was I suppose to compete with all the smart people around me.
  • Age 23: graduated with double degrees. Immediately took a month off in Europe to not think about finding a job (thanks mom and dad). Landed back into reality and it took me 3 desperate months to land a job.
  • Age 23-24: toiled in a monotonous job in an industrial area. Primary task: plugged numbers into formulas that I never understood. When I asked, the Senior Engineer couldn’t be bothered with my questions. And I was made to feel little when technicians who are non-degree holders had to show this university educated person how and why. But they were nice about it, unlike the Senior Engineer who was a prick. Ended up playing around with their computers and network more than what I was paid to do.
  • Age 24: Realise that I can be good at this computer thing and I loved it. Uni friend asked if I had wanted a career change – no more electrical engineering, and working in IT. I said yes. Within a month, I was out of the industrial area and working in the city. Hurray for better food and better looking women!
  • Age 24-27: working in the city, living it up and coasting on the IT boom. Was paid a hefty bonus for standing by for Y2K – easiest money that I have ever earned because nothing happened! Within those 4 years my salary jumped $40,000 and with some of my stock options I bought a second car. Yeah I know – how decadent. But the good times had to end some time …
  • Age 27-28: the big IT crash and the company decided to scale down their Australian operations and the Perth office was closed down. I was made redundant along with 60 other people. Got half a year’s salary as a payout. I kept looking for work while studying for an IT certification. I got the certification but I never got a job. Then one day whilst walking to one of a few interviews that I managed to get, I saw this little eatery but it was closed. Asked my mother if she wanted to move her restaurant there. She said, “Why don’t you do it?”
  • Age 28: after almost 10 months moping around feeling sorry for myself, it wasn’t hard to convince me to make yet another career change even if it meant dumping all my savings into it. This time I was going to be a restaurateur.
  • Age 28-30: Running a restaurant was incredibly tiring and my emotions followed the business of the day: if it was good, I felt good; if it was shit, I felt like shit. It was a good living but I was never going to get rich from it and my social life was suffering. I did learn many life and people skills. My staff were always a great bunch and the loyal customers kept me upbeat.
  • Age 30: same uni friend offered me an IT job at his startup. I didn’t want to abandon my restaurant but my mother and brother offered to take it over. So it was another no-brainer – I took the IT job.
  • Age 30-33: felt great to get back into IT though I was very rusty in the beginning. An office job felt so cushy in comparison to the restaurant. Being in a customer service role, the benefits of having been in the hospitality industry cannot be overstated – the experience was tremendously useful.
  • Age 33: feeling proud of what I have achieved and have contributed to the company but also feeling that I have reached the glass ceiling at the current job. I’m ready for new challenges and bigger and better things. Have started my job search and am having my first interview tomorrow.

What did you want to be when you were a kid? Did you study what you really wanted to do in university? Ultimately, was university necessary? Have you ever questioned your career path? Has it ever took multiple detours like mine did?