Not a lot of people know that I was a C.P.A. The road from being a junior auditor at SGV to editor-in-chief at MoneySense and co-founder and chief executive of Learning Curve was a long and winding one, with crossroads at certain turns.
I’m a classic case of someone who took up a college course and later got jobs that were not the right fit. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a great deal and have applied what I’ve learned throughout my career. And certainly, that business and accounting background is what distinguished me as an editor and journalist.
Still, if I knew then about myself what I know now, I would have graduated with a different degree and made better career decisions along the way. Ironically, I already had an inkling of what I was good at and what I loved to do.
I had always been creative and inquisitive. As a child, I loved reading and learning new things. I also composed movie scripts in my mind. Of course, I didn’t turn out to be a scriptwriter or a film director, but close enough.
I never had ambitions of becoming a journalist but I have always enjoyed writing. In high school, economics and numbers, in general, intrigued me. Knowing that every business needs an accountant – aside from the challenge of getting into the BS B.A.A. course – I shifted courses in my sophomore year. I didn’t exactly thrive. Looking back, I should have just stuck to a B.A. major in marketing and broke into media or advertising. Because it turns out I love marketing, especially digital marketing, and I’m pretty good at it!
Instead I flip-flopped, becoming an auditor, business systems consultant, computer applications trainer, desktop publisher, technology writer, business editor, account manager, Web producer, conference organizer, bank consultant, custom publisher, seminar producer, and editor-in-chief of a personal finance magazine – all in a span of 16 years. I could have skipped a handful of those that didn’t play to my strengths.
Thankfully, things have turned out for the best. I’m doing what I love – producing conferences and magazines – and making a good living out of it. Believe me, I went through my own mid-quarter crisis that extended toward my early 30s. My career may not be a straight line but at least I finally figured things out.
So here’s my advice: choose a college course that plays to your real strengths and will earn you a good living. Don’t base your decision for a degree or even your first job based on what’s hot or what’s expected of you. Get a career book, take personality tests, seek a guidance counselor, and whatever you need to do to get it right from the get-go, not when you’re already pushing 30.
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash
