I just did a simple exercise. I took a piece of paper and wrote down all the jobs that came to my mind in 3 minutes. I came up with 27.
I suggest you do the same. Time yourself; 3 min only. And don't cheat. When the time is up, stop writing even if more ideas pop up!
- Did you manage to list more than 27 jobs in 3 minutes?
How many jobs did you come up with? If you got more than 27, my respects.
It sounds a silly exercise but there is a reason I am writing a post about it.
I was looking at my answers and I identified an interesting pattern:
- First, I wrote down all the professions that are positively portrayed in the media e.g. doctors, lawyers, actors, etc
- Then, I thought of all the jobs I come in contact with in everyday life e.g. shop keepers, plumbers, bus drivers, real estate agents, etc
- In the end, when I was a bit stuck I started thinking about my friends/family and what jobs each of them is doing.
The point I want to make is that we are mainly influenced by:
- what we watch on TV, newspapers and magazines
- our everyday interactions
- what professions our friends & family do.
However, there are so many other interesting jobs out there that we are not aware of; especially the new ones that have been created due to technological and scientific advancements. And these are the ones with promising long-term prospects.
So, don't be satisfied with traditional practices and conventional wisdom. Try to explore the professions of the future.
And if you can list more than 27 jobs in 3 minutes, send me an email.
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