flâneur

Choosing a career path when you’re uncertain

jasonbenn.com · 1,735 words · saved by 1 readers

At 22, on my first day at my first real job, I became convinced that I had doomed myself to a mediocre career.

At 22, on my first day at my first real job, I became convinced that I had doomed myself to a mediocre career. Instead of applying for a prestigious consulting job like my UVa peers, I had become paralyzed by inaction. My career decision felt both intractable and impossibly high-stakes: either my next job would put me on the fast-track to success, impact, and meaning; or I would condemn myself to a self-perpetuating string of mediocre gigs. I was like Esther from The Bell Jar , starving at the foot of the fig tree , and my indecision was rewarded with a single wretched job offer from my friend

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