Falling into careers

I'm teaching a freshman seminar course, as an adjunct. This is a one-credit course designed to help new students settle in and succeed at the University. So, I'm putting together a 'lesson' on career-planning, as I'm required to by the master syllabus. It seems so funny to me to think about planning a career at the age of 18. I know when I was a freshman, I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up. For that matter, even though I had picked a major, and even applied to grad school, I didn't really have any more of a clue upon graduation. But, I suppose not everyone is like me, and some people actually have a calling and know what they want out of life from an early age. I suspect, though, that those people are in the minority. The rest of us? Eh, we sort of fall into thing, either by chance, or by life/work experience. I'm actually really happy with my career, and did eventually go to grad school in order to pursue it, but if you had told me 15 years ago that this is what I'd be doing with my life, I would have been very surprised. I'm guessing many a podiatrist, fragrance tester, New York car accident lawyer, tax accountant, high school administrator, and even college professor feels the same way.