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Careers can involve growth, development, and hopefully professional and personal progress. Your career journey involves figuring out what you want and choosing roles and companies that align with this goal in mind.
Unfortunately, managing your career path is rarely straightforward. What happens when if you don’t actually know what you want or realize the career path you chose isn't the right one? Having a plan B in place is always handy. One way to do this is to invest the time, energy, and effort to explore your natural interests.
The idea of dabbling may initially sound like a haphazard, unfocused exercise, but giving yourself room to wander and explore without expectation can be very clarifying.
Explorations Can Clarify Your Career Path
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I can think of times during my own career when my dabbling, tinkering, and exploring were critical to shaping the career I now have. I left medical school after two weeks because I just wasn’t happy with the direction it was taking me. What followed were three solid years of total confusion because I had no idea what I wanted to instead do with my life. Initially, I took a job at a health policy consulting firm in Washington, DC, which seemed to be a good step to nurture my interest in business while staying connected to the world of healthcare.
I quickly surmised the world of health policy and corporate consulting was not for me, but I was at a great company with a stable job, surrounded by interesting people and a positive culture. Instead of immediately jumping ship, I decided to learn as much as I could there and use my time outside of work to explore some of my other interests.
Test the Waters Without Expectation
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I explored different variations of medical careers. For example, a part of me wasn’t entirely sure if I made the right decision to leave medical school, so I studied to become a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Then, after a very short-lived stint doing ambulance runs in DC, the stress I experienced put the final nail in the coffin of my medical career path.
I also gave myself permission to pursue other interests. In the evenings, I taught salsa dance lessons at both a local gym and a Cuban restaurant. I had always loved salsa dancing and absolutely loved teaching it to others. I knew I was never going to become a full-time dance instructor. However, feeding a hobby and a side interest energized me. Also, being in front of all those people in the club planted the first seeds to me eventually starting my own business many years later focused on public speaking.
I continued to give my 100% on the work front, and in doing so, uncovered an opportunity to get involved in a corporate branding project to rename our company and create a new brand identity. This first foray into branding was something I enjoyed immensely and began my official transition into what would become the next chapters of my career focused on brand management and personal branding.
Dabbling is Unsettling But Productive
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If you’re the one dabbling in a lot of different activities, it can feel a little unsettling. When I was testing the waters with different career paths, I felt like I was falling behind while everyone else seemed to be moving forward in their careers. With each passing day of my “explorations”, I felt more pressure to figure things out.
Additionally, in the context of one’s career, the idea of dabbling oftentimes has a negative connotation. On the surface, it can seem like aimless, noncommittal explorations without any sense of focus. I was guilty of judging candidates in this way myself during hiring processes in the corporate world. When you think of people bouncing from one activity to another, you may assume they lack direction.
The Upside of Trying Things Out
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On the contrary, trying out new things can give you a taste of new possibilities. When you’re testing out a career idea, you may plant some seeds that could grow into an actual role in the future. If things don’t work out, at least you’ve broadened your skillset and career options.
If dabbling doesn’t end up pinpointing what you want to do with your life, it can help rule out all the other things you don’t want to do, which helps you clarify what you might want to do instead. Exploring your varied interests also helps you diversify your skillset and differentiate yourself from others who followed more traditional career paths.
Give Yourself Permission to Explore
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Permitting yourself to drift is a gift you may only appreciate later on in your life. When you think about all the ideas sitting in the back of your head, which one do you want to give yourself permission to explore right now? Let your quest for self-discovery help you uncover where you’re meant to truly land in your career.
