This time of year is full of so much energy - everything is green and growing, and not just trees and cicadas.
My social feeds are full of graduation pictures. High Schoolers getting ready to take their first big steps out into the world, and college graduates ready for what's next.
I've seen many pictures of graduates that are firsts: as in, "first in my family." That to me is motivating.
Most of them are young. Twenty-somethings ready to tackle the world's big problems and build a life of their own.
I've also seen many others that have gotten across the finish line much later in life then is considered conventional. Some have finished after getting side-tracked, some never thought they would go to college until much later in life. I'm working with a woman right now that started a family very young, and finished her degree during the pandemic while working full-time and raising two young children. Motivating to say the least.
I've also seen some pretty dramatic pivots - like moving from a career in finance to going back to school and starting in interior design.
In our work coaching professionals on their next career move, we often see people who have ended up in an imaginary box they feel trapped in. It's either one of their own construction, or perhaps was forced upon them by parents or circumstance. There is often a sunk-cost fallacy ("I spent all this money on getting this degree in a field that I hate.") or lifestyle component("I cannot afford to change careers.")
Education can be a way to break free into something you love - or enable you to find what it is that you love. For example, nobody grows up wanting to be a recruiter, yet, here I am - in a job I find fulfilling, and I'm able to make a living out of doing.
It can be a way out of a dead-end job or dying field and into a growing one. It can be a way to make yourself much more competitive for that next promotion or start that company.
Education can be a joy in and of itself. The 80 year-old graduating from college is not doing it to land a better job.
For those who have put in the work to get this far - congratulations. We're excited for you and the adventures ahead.
If you are one of the ones that feel kind of lost...maybe at a career standstill or considering if going back to school is your next best move, we are here to help. We have coaches that have helped hundreds through this process. Let us know how we can help!