What Color Is Your Parachute 2018 by Richard N. Bolles copy

Conclusion:
EIGHT CAUTIONS ABOUT
CHOOSING/CHANGING CAREERS
Whenever you have to choose or change a career, here are eight cautions
to keep in mind. (Many of these you’re already aware of, I’m sure; this is
just a reminder.)
1. Go for any career that seems fascinating or even interesting to you.
But first talk to people who are already doing that work, to find out if
the career or job is as great as it seems at first impression. Ask them:
What do you like best about this work? What do you like least about
this work? And, how did you get into this work? This last question,
which sounds like mere cheeky curiosity, actually can give you
important clues about how you could get into this line of work or
career, yourself. Ask them how they perceive their career: what are its
component parts. Every man and woman may see their vocation in
a different light. Don’t assume that the way the person you are
interviewing defines it, is the way you must, also. Beneath any
job-title, there is often lots of room for you to maneuver and
define that job in a way that uniquely suits you, your gifts, and
your creativity. One architect, for example, may perceive his or her
vocation in a different way from another architect. When Frei Otto
received the Pritzker Prize posthumously in March of 2015, it was
said of him, “he…embraced a definition of architect to include
researcher, inventor, form-finder, engineer, builder, teacher,
collaborator, environmentalist, humanist, and creator of
memorable…spaces.” He was inspired by “natural phenomena—
from birds’ skulls to soap bubbles and spiders’ webs.” 5
2. In moving from one career to another, make sure that you preserve
constancy in your life as well as change, during the transition. In
other words, don’t change everything. Remember the words of
Archimedes about his mythical long lever: Give me a fulcrum and a
place to stand, and with a lever I will move the Earth. 6 You need a