Dear Justin,

Thank you for your question. I can sense your concern about your career path, and I want you to know that feeling lost after a few years of work experience is more common than you might think — especially when you're contemplating a shift from your initial field of biological and process engineering.

Let me share my personal story: I discovered my career calling quite early, during high school. I was always passionate about video games, and when my IT teacher shared a snake-like game with its source code, some friends and I started tinkering with it — adding multiplayer features and better AI. That moment of realizing I could create things I enjoyed using was when I knew I wanted to work with computers and programming.

However, I consider myself exceptionally lucky in two ways: first, that my hobby could become my career, and second, that I discovered this so early. This isn't the norm — it's more of an exception, and I think it's important to acknowledge that.

The reality is that many fantastic career opportunities aren't visible enough in our day-to-day lives. We all see doctors and lawyers on TV, but how many process engineers or PR specialists do we see? Let me share stories of two close friends who took time to find their calling:

• One started multiple finance-related bachelor studies but struggled with all of them. She then tried marketing and found her true passion — last I heard, she was excelling in her master's program.
• Another finished his chemical engineering MSc with outstanding results and worked in research and automotive engineering, but never really felt fulfilled in these roles. After switching jobs a few times, he eventually found his place in project management, where he's now thriving.

These stories highlight something important: career paths are rarely straight lines nowadays. Your background in process engineering has likely given you valuable skills that could transfer well to other fields — whether it's analytical thinking, problem solving, or understanding complex systems. And at three years into your career, you're actually at a perfect time to reflect and potentially pivot — you have enough experience to know what you like and dislike, but you're still early in your career journey.

Don't be afraid to explore changes if you haven't found your calling yet. It's never too late to switch paths. I'd encourage you to:

• Talk to friends, family, and old classmates about their work
• Network with professionals in fields that interest you
• Consider how your current skills might transfer to other roles
• Maybe even arrange to observe professionals in their day-to-day work (known as job shadowing) or take some online courses in areas you're curious about

I wish you the best of luck in finding your path, just as my friends did. Remember, feeling uncertain now doesn't mean you won't find something you love — it just means you're thoughtful about your future, which is actually a strength!

21 March, 2025 18:38