What do YOU want to do with your life?

That is the million-dollar question for a lot of us, isn’t it?

For instance, I am nearing the end of my undergraduate education.  In May, I will have a Food Science & Engineering degree from a great school.  I have worked so hard for the past five years to do well in school, get great internships, and find a good job.

The problem?  I don’t want to be an engineer.

I don’t really want to do the super-technical kind of work that is expected of many engineering graduates.  I do enjoy Research & Development work, but haven’t found a company yet that would let me work on a product I really believe in.  Or I have, but they aren’t hiring.

What I really enjoy is cooking. And understanding the science behind food.  And writing.  Specifically, writing about food. And the science behind it.

This is what I want to do.

Which is so scary to say.  Because wanting to make a career out of food writing is risky. Very, very risky.

And I’m not usually the risky type.  I’ve always been the girl with the plan for the future, with everything mapped out.  I’ve been trying to “go with the flow” more lately to see where life takes me, like up and moving to New York for Dan’s job.  I have no idea what I’m going to do there, but I’m excited to go.

What I’m hoping to do is find a job that leaves me enough time to pursue food writing on the side.  Even if I’m not using my education in whatever job I find, I will be using it in my writing.

My next steps are to:

1.  Graduate (duh).

2.  Build up a library of food science books and cookbooks.  I’ll take recommendations!

3.  Keep writing!  Start with getting articles published in local newsletters and papers, and work my way up from there.  Unless, of course, there are other publications reading this who want to hire me.

4.  Keep blogging.

This is super scary for me, taking such a big risk.  And telling all of you about it.  I’m feeling inspired by Angela’s recent post, though, and the blog-world is so encouraging!  It also probably helps that Dan has a steady job that he thinks he’ll love, too.

So how did I come to this idea of what to do with my life?

I attended an awesome presentation at the SWE National Conference last month, entitled “What do I want to do with my life?”  As soon as I saw it listed on the schedule, I knew that it was the session for me!

Here’s what we did, and what you can do too!

Note: For all of these questions, answer with the first thing that comes to mind.  Don’t think about it too much!

1.  When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

The focus of the first set of questions: your Passions. Fill in the blanks with the first thing you think of!

1. I could spend hours doing ___________
2. My favorite magazine or newspaper to read is __________
3. I own way too many ____________
4. When I have free time, the first thing I do is __________
5. When I am stressed, I like to _____________
6. My friends say I am obsessed with ___________
7. My favorite class in school was _________
8. I collect __________
9. I am happiest when I am _______

The focus of the second set of questions: your Talents. Again, fill in the blanks with the first thing you think of!

1. I’ve always been good at _____________
2. People have always said I would be a good ________
3. I have received awards or recognition for my _______
4. The school course I did the best in was _________

And finally, the third set of questions:  your Lifestyle. One more time, fill in the blanks with the first thing that comes to mind!

1. I couldn’t live in a place that didn’t have  ___________
2. I am happiest when I am surrounded by __________
3. My favorite city is ____________
4. I need to live near __________
5. I need to live far away from _________

Now, look back at all of your answers.  What kind of theme are you finding in your answers?

Brainstorm the kinds of jobs you could have that fit the themes of your answers.  Be sure to think of some “off the beaten path” options.  Have someone else help you brainstorm, too!

When I did this, I found a strong theme of food and writing answers in the passion section, and my talents lie in writing and science.  And when I was a little kid, I wanted to be a writer.  I only decided to pursue science or engineering after I got to high school.  Food writing, including writing about the science behind food, fits my talents, passions, and lifestyle!

It is scary, but this is what I really want to do post-graduation.  How about you?

And before I leave, let me say that I wouldn’t give up my engineering degree or re-do my time in college if I could.  I have learned so much from all of my internships and classes, and I wouldn’t have made so many great SWE friends if I wasn’t an engineer.

Tagged as: Future, SWE, What to do with your life