Instead of Plan B, Create What’s Next!
I was forced to accept that medical school was not for me…
…After one and a half years at Ohio State, on my own dime, getting all the needed prerequisites.
I’d gotten my undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, then went to work for Reynolds Metals in Richmond, VA, as an Industrial Engineering Trainee doing projects at foundries around the US. After a year and a half, they said I was ready to be the IE in my “very own” small foundry. By then I knew that wasn’t what I wanted!
What To Do?
I returned home to my live with my parents in Cleveland and worked briefly for a consulting firm there, deciding what to do next, and saving up for it. After considered investigation, it came down to an MBA or medical school.
I chose the medical school path and went back to Ohio State for the prerequisites. I actually loved the coursework, even things like Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, and Biochemistry.
What did me in was Comparative Anatomy, affectionately known as cat anatomy. The course included a lab where we dissected a cat and had to memorize all the nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and bones. With the bones for example, we needed to know every nook and nodule by their Latin names.
That was my downfall, a sobering realization that this was not for me.
Why?
I’m slightly dyslexic. I’ll remember something close, but not exactly. For example, “Jane” instead of “Joan.”
I realized I’d absolutely NOT want to go to “me” for a prescription. Could you imagine?!?
Plus, it would have taken 4 years of medical school and several years of residency before I could go into practice …all on loans. It turned out to be a poor fit and I had to abandon my Plan A, with no clear Plan B.
Again, What To Do?
I started considering getting a Master’s degree in Biochemistry.
It was Christmas break and I was sitting on the sofa at my parent’s house in Cleveland, talking with my Dad. I vividly remember him saying, “Why don’t you call down to the Biomedical Engineering department at Case,” the excellent university right nearby in downtown Cleveland.
I called and spoke to a professor there. He didn’t think it was the best fit and I agreed. He suggested I call Professor Haimes in the System’s Engineering department.
I didn’t really know anything about Systems Engineering, but I called Doctor Haimes and he answered. After we’d spoken for over 30 minutes, he asked if I was available to come down that afternoon and meet in person. I immediately said yes!
Serendipity
When we met, we spoke for another hour. Then he offered me a Research Assistantship. He’d pay my tuition and give me a modest stipend. In return, I’d to a thesis on a topic in his area by mutual agreement.
I immediately again said yes and began working on my Master’s in Systems Engineering that winter for the Spring semester. It was a good fit for my interests. I actually liked the Operations Research (“mathy”) part of my undergrad degree the most (crazy me!) and Systems Engineering was the same type of course material.
That led to my graduating a year and a half later, beginning work at Bell Labs, and then on to a quite satisfying and rewarding career.
There are times when having a well-considered plan is a really good idea and in those cases I would highly recommend that approach. In this case, I had no plan and look what happened.
Rather than “Plan B,” through serendipity and being open to new ideas, I created what was next for me.
Today’s Tip
Instead of Plan B, when you’re at a crossroads, consider instead creating What’s Next.
Create it new and fresh, starting exactly from where you are, right in that moment.
Find purpose for yourself and base “What’s Next” on that.
‘Whatever possibility is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know.’”
— Adapted from the Nobel Lecture of Wislawa Szymborska, Polish poet and 1996 Nobel Laureate in Literature
On the lighter side, what do you call a worker who is of retirement age, hates his job, and refuses to retire? Flat broke!
More pragmatically, retirement is a time when you can “change gears” and can perhaps no longer think of speed limits as a challenge!
How do I find purpose for myself?
Get extraordinarily clear about What Matters Most.
How? Get really clear about What You Want!
Although it sounds simple, some people find it a challenge to go beyond a general “feeling” about this. My Retire With Purpose™ course can help you get really clear about What You Want and What Matters Most, along with What Movitates and Satisfies you.
Once you’re REALLY CLEAR about where you stand and what you want, begin creating ways and opportunities to make it happen.
Bonus Tip
How to begin creating ways and opportunities to make it happen?
- Start by getting really clear about where you are right now.
- Next, reflect on What You Want and What Matters Most.
- Then begin looking for what next steps you could take, from exactly where you are right now, that will move in the direction you want to go.
Want help getting clear about your retirement focus?
Get really clear about what you want for your retirement and practical steps you can take to start making it happen right now. Use that clarity and a simple action system to guide you as you transition to retirement and begin living your new retirement life.
- Get a new level of clarity about What Matters Most and What You Want, so you can powerfully create your Retirement the way you’ve always imagined™
- Get valuable (and perhaps surprising) insight into What Really Motivates and Satisfies You, plus insight into what additional work, learning, and education you might want to pursue.
- Create your “Bucket List” of the top experiences and achievements you hope to have.
- Determine your prioritized list of Retirement Goals and what you want to make happen this coming year.
- Discover how to Make It Happen!
The longer you delay, the less time you’ll have living the retirement you say you want. Don’t delay until it’s too late.
Go to Retire With Purpose™ and start creating the retirement you’ve always imagined.
Stay tuned. I’ll be sharing more about ways to create a great life.
And I’m developing programs based on tried-and-true ways to do this, so you don’t have to invent them for yourself. All my programs include a structure and guided discovery process that reliably produce a result.
You can contact me at ContactEric.today. I’m happy to talk anytime you like.
Make it happen!
Eric at ExploringRetirement.club
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Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.