/thoughts - goals | balance | future
It's as if my future self tells me to lock in, the day before an exam
Worrisome thoughts about career directions and long term goals aren't exactly what you need the day before an exam, but it seems rarely do they plague you otherwise, and so here I am, writing this out as I put the exam revision on hold.
Goals are a key part of life - moving or unmoving, they (should) determine the course of your actions, thoughts and decisions. You hear every self-improvement guru tell you to set goals, and not without reason. But goals should be just that, goals. The path toward them shouldn't be fixed or even clear; as you progress, it's how you reevaluate your progress and adapt to the situation that's important.
I figured out my big picture career goal a few years ago: hit the big leagues but remain technical without diving too deep into management. As time went by, the fog on the path to the goal cleared just a bit: senior staff engineer/team lead/whatever the equivalent is, in 8-10 years, but also to be the organization's leading technical person, be that CTO or director or something else, in the long long term. I'm not sure this is the right path, but it's what I think is the right one to get to the actual goal. If it's wrong, I'll correct course as needed. If my priorities change, I'll reorder certain short-term goals. But the big picture stays the same.
The side goals that are equally long term, and almost equally important, are:
- good pay (enough to not worry about emergencies and comfort)
- good work-life balance (enough to pursue my personal goals)
- career fulfillment (doing something I love, always learning and not stagnating)
They say it's impossible to get all three, and maybe so. But I refuse to accept that. Is it not human nature to struggle, to seek out a better life, to seek comfort and fulfillment? It would be an injustice to stop trying.
In the end, however, I must clarify: at this early pre-career stage of my life where I haven't made a single buck yet, having a gilded safety net in the form of my family supporting me in my decisions and financially is the entire reason I can even begin to dream of such lofty heights. Quite a lot of talented people I know are not blessed with such fortune. So I figured: well if you're gonna dream, why not dream big?