Going Off on an Adventure Career

Society dictates that there is only one path in life -- the conventional road. A university diploma is a requisite to get a 9-to-5 job. Once in the workforce, the goal is to work your way up to the top. Success is judged by how much one earns. To deviate from the norm is to be looked down by society.

Life is not just black-and-white but in shades of grey. It is up to us to make our own work an adventure that will last a lifetime. As we start the year, what better way to spend it than to plan for the year ahead.

Design your own adventure. Create extraordinary experiences through uncommon occupations. A career adventure should be based on one's desire and not of what is expected of us by other people. It is judged by how much we learn, NOT how much we earn. It is characterized by career "jumps" and not climbing up the corporate ladder.

Having an adventure career is motivated more by one's personal interests and convictions. It is borne out of our many, varied experiences. There are many things that help shape our life - our schooling, experiences, the community we live in, the people we meet, our values, goals and dreams. We should look into these for clues on what we'd like to do out of life.

I've met a group of teachers from the English Centre in Istanbul. These are Australians, Americans, British, Scottish, Irish people in their early 20s to late 40s. They were all involved in different fields before coming to Turkey to teach English. There's a lawyer, a sub-editor, a music teacher, a journalist in the group. But they all left their jobs and took a qualification to teach English in a foreign country. Whatever their purposes for doing so, they are admirable. They have the courage to leave a familiar path, to follow their dreams, to do something different, and venture into the unknown.

As we explore what it is we want in life, we should answer first the following questions:

* WHO AM I?
* WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?
* HOW DO I DO IT?

In his book, First Things First by Stephen Covey, he advised that we should write down a mission statement for our life. A mission statement is our purpose in life. What we are here for. Ask yourself, "What is your passion in life?" Is it something related to the academics, the outdoors, volunteerism, political involvement, spiritual work or entrepreneurship? Remember the movie, "Jerry MacGuire" where Tom Cruise played a sports agent? One day, he woke up realizing that it's not all about money. Personal relationships are important. It's about caring for your clients. Treating them as your buddy and not as your bread-and-butter. And he set out to write his mission statement. You can also do the same. Not as long as that but probably a mission statement which you can sum up in one sentence.

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