I thought I had gotten off to a good start.
I rocked my red pumps (the female equivalent of a power tie), my pencil skirt, and my perfectly pressed white shirt. I greeted everyone who came within a first down marker of me. I said the right things during my meetings and introduced myself to the right people during my down time.
Perhaps this getting back to work thing would be not as difficult as I imagined.
This perspective changed quickly, though, towards the end of my second day when I was hit with the question. Yep, the question.
“We were wondering,” the most vocal member of a group of women who were getting ready to call it a day said to me, “What do you actually do?”
There were many things that I was hoping to hear from this group of women. “We are glad to have you on board.” “We are excited to have your skills on our team.” “We cannot wait to work with you further.” These all would have fit the bill.
“What do you actually do?” does not have quite the same ring to it. The irony, of course, is that I thought re-joining the workforce would answer this question, not perpetuate it.
Joining an organization or holding a title, I quickly learned, does not mean that your purpose or your goals instantly become clear. A job does not define a person. A person defines a job.
I rocked my red pumps (the female equivalent of a power tie), my pencil skirt, and my perfectly pressed white shirt. I greeted everyone who came within a first down marker of me. I said the right things during my meetings and introduced myself to the right people during my down time.
Perhaps this getting back to work thing would be not as difficult as I imagined.
This perspective changed quickly, though, towards the end of my second day when I was hit with the question. Yep, the question.
“We were wondering,” the most vocal member of a group of women who were getting ready to call it a day said to me, “What do you actually do?”
There were many things that I was hoping to hear from this group of women. “We are glad to have you on board.” “We are excited to have your skills on our team.” “We cannot wait to work with you further.” These all would have fit the bill.
“What do you actually do?” does not have quite the same ring to it. The irony, of course, is that I thought re-joining the workforce would answer this question, not perpetuate it.
Joining an organization or holding a title, I quickly learned, does not mean that your purpose or your goals instantly become clear. A job does not define a person. A person defines a job.
As many of us begin new jobs or begin second careers, it is important not to lose sight of this key difference. If you do not know what you actually do (or what you actually want to do), that is okay, and you are certainly not alone. Keep on doing something. And, even more importantly, keep on contemplating the question of what you want to do until you come up with something good.
The question the women posed to me is a fair one – what do you actually do?
And, I answered as truthfully as possible. “To be honest,” I said, “I am still trying to figure that out.”
The question the women posed to me is a fair one – what do you actually do?
And, I answered as truthfully as possible. “To be honest,” I said, “I am still trying to figure that out.”
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Just added you to my google reader! Looking forward to reading more as I'm looking to go back to school for a master's and figure out what the heck I plan to do with my life. ;)
ReplyDeleteLauren, thanks for reading. Congratulations on taking the big step of going back to school. That is no small feat.
ReplyDeleteI think you will see, by continuing to read, that you are not alone in feeling a bit uncertain of where to go next. Let's see if we can figure a few things out over the next couple of months. At the very least, let's see if we can laugh at ourselves a few times.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteFirst time visitor here and I enjoyed reading your perspective. I thought that answer was perfect. Even as we get older, sometimes we aren't sure "what we do." I know I caught myself saying that in my career a few times over the last few years.
Best of luck on your journey!
Jason
Thanks for reading, Jason. I hope you come back again to read some more and share your own insights.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a positive thing when you take the time to give thought to what you are currently doing - and what you want to be doing. Even if you come up with the response of, "I'm not sure what I want to do," asking the question enough times seems to be the best way to get as close as possible to finding the right career fit.