I’m going to start this article with some questions addressed to myself:
What is the definition of a failed career?
When do you know you’ve made the wrong choice?
What did I do wrong?
How did I end up here?
Hello! I’m Paul, and I have no idea whether I’ve made the right choices in life regarding work.
After finishing technical high school, I was confused about finding a path to follow.
At that time, I flirted with the idea of becoming a medical assistant—I had heard it was well-paid. Being a tired, broke guy, I had to get a job to afford post-secondary school. With little experience and skills that were useless to society, I couldn’t even find an unskilled job. I didn’t know then that you even need experience to be considered unskilled…
Eventually, an opportunity arose: an unskilled labor position at a company that installed flooring, mainly carpets. The working conditions were basic—my hands were the roller, and my equipment consisted of a trowel and a cutter.
There’s not much to say—I was just a guy laying carpets and cleaning the office because, of course, why pay for a cleaning service or hire a janitor?
One good thing was that the jobs were in different cities, so I got to see places I wouldn’t have otherwise visited.
After a while and a few failed courses at the so-called great post-secondary school, I decided it wasn’t worth being away 80% of the time. It wasn’t the right path for me. I dropped out of post-secondary school but continued working for another year.
After two years in this job, I decided to quit my glorious career in unskilled labor.
What followed was a period of reflection about my life’s path… In other words, three months of doing absolutely nothing. But then the time came to enroll in university and find a job closer to the field I wanted to pursue.
That’s how I ended up working as a telecommunications installation technician for a major company. I didn’t have many complaints—just that the workload was overwhelming.
I enrolled in a part-time computer science degree. After a year and a half of juggling work and university, I decided to focus on a job that would help me in my future IT career.
With a mix of courage and recklessness, I quit my current job for an unpaid internship. Yes, at that time, internships were unpaid.
And from then until now, I have been a programmer—for about nine years.
The answer to my initial questions? I still don’t know.
Did I fail my career as an unskilled worker? Did I fail my career as a telecom technician?
Will I fail my career as a programmer?
Did I make the right choices?
Was all the effort worth it?
And I am not just talking about the financial aspect.
What each field offers can vary greatly.