I used to be envious of those people, but now I choose to see it this way: people like us who have done so many things and finally settled on what we want to to do are only richer for the variety of experiences (well, mostly!). The others never had the chance to learn because they didn’t want to veer off the set track. Think of it that way! And by the way an ‘unquestioning’ mind to me is definitely a liability, not an asset!! Besides, ‘ignorance’ and ‘unquestioning’ are both words with negative connotations

Wow, I can certainly identify with this! There is so much I like to do and would want to do, and sometimes I just can’t do it all at once. Also, I’ve spent a lot of time second-guessing my choices and wondering if I made the right decisions. Sometimes I have, sometimes I haven’t. Yet no matter what, I am a big fan of variety and I’ve certainly had plenty of that over the years.

It’s so important to know what you want to do RIGHT NOW, and it’s a very good thing that you have that.

Anjali - I cannot agree more with you. But sometimes, it definitely makes me second guess myself. But yes - we are richer atleast for the amount of life experiences we gather!

Amy - I think you’ve summed it well for me, “knowing what I want to right now.” Thank you! Do you blog?

Jinal - alas, I used to blog but I haven’t in a long time. If I get one going again I’ll let you know

A lot of people I know have set themselves on a prescribed path like you described - this is particularly applicable to those who have proceeded to law/med schools immediately upon graduation from college. Given the plethora of options available, I think that allowing space for exploration is the best way to discover your strength and that which offers fulfillment. I am very much in the middle of this so-called exploration, and while grateful for the experience, I sometimes cope with the insecurities of not walking on a straight path - comparing myself to lawyer/doctor/i-banker friends and seeing how “lost” I am, how successful they are, how much money they’re making, etc. In the end, it comes down to having your experience and interests converge - however disparate they may be, they all ultimately contribute to your choice of a career and life style that offers challenges and fulfillment.

Aki - Yes. My contention is with the idea that people like us - who want to explore and go off the beaten path, either end up enriching our life by varied experiences or running ourselves into debt and without useful skills. There should be a guide that tells you/ shows you how to do it just right.

Jinal - maybe you and some other individuals who successfully go off the beaten path and achieve enrichment should get together and write the guide some day. You know, if no one else is doing it, then why not take the initiative? I added this blog to the blog list on my page, btw.

Aki - How do we define success when its off the beaten path? But yes - that might be worth a thought.

Thanks for adding my blog. How did you find me anyways ?

In the context of deviating from the typical career path, success comes down to making the most of ones experience and actively shaping his or own path to fulfillment - I believe that success is not a destination but journey (not to sound too corny). I don’t even remember how I found your blog - I guess I was simply following the links from one blog to another and somewhere along the grapevine, arrived at this one.