The other day we had some old friends over for some late afternoon (outdoor, chilly) coffee. One thing I remarked on was how all four of us have shifted or completely changed careers. They were in industrial and product design and now run their own pottery studio full-time. I'm a former illustrator/animator turned developer, and my wife runs a web design business for therapists, after years in the field.
None of us were trying to make a go of it and failing, we all had many years in successful careers.
I often bring this up when I talk to people at the beginning of their career. There's so much pressure to pick a path. It seems so permanent, and if you pick the wrong one you'll toil in obscurity until you're old, peniless, and miserable.
For one thing, you might pick the right path and still end up penniless and miserable (and there's no avoiding being old).
More importantly, a career isn't a train track. It's a highway with lots of on- and off-ramps, so keep a lookout for interesting road signs. You'll have lots of opportunities to try new things on the road you're on, or maybe by getting off and taking an interesting looking side road.
There will be intersections to pause and re-evaluate. Different careers have much more in common than you would imagine, and no matter what you do you're building skills that will transfer. To be fair: You're also building skills that won't necessarily transfer, but it's all an important part of your story.
So get on the road, and commit to the road you're on. That doesn't mean commit forever, it means get the most out of the path you're on. We have an idea of what's what's around the first corner, and maybe get a glimpse or two around the second corner, but you'll never know what's around the eighth until you get to the seventh. And you'll never get there until you start.
