It’s all about the experience.Ĥ) Be optimistic: assume good things may result from accepting unexpected invitations, attending networking events, and trying new activities. In that case, great! Now you know that at least you have tried it, and probably won’t do it again in the future. Of course, the opposite can also happen, where the opportunities that come our way don’t match our perceived “ideal”. Perhaps you will find one or two experiences to be very enjoyable, and these experiences will lead to something in your future. Be open-minded and flexible to new experiences: Don’t let fear of failure, indecision, or a bad first impression throw you off from exploring opportunities, both big and small. Try a new activity, or look up that occupation that you are interested in, check out volunteer opportunities, attend a presentation on a topic that interests you, or take a course in an area new to you, either for credit or for fun! Increasing your exposure to more things will increase the likelihood of discovering exciting opportunities.Ģ. Explore things that you are curious about: hobbies, occupations, school subjects. Here are some tips from UCalgary (which is mixed in with some tips of my own) for using planned happenstance to your advantage:ġ. This theory suggests that “by engaging in effective behaviors, students can turn chance events into productive opportunities by developing skills in areas like curiosity, persistence, flexibility, optimism, and risk taking.” This theory emphasizes upon the role of chance, and taking advantage of unplanned opportunities that come along. With all of the above in mind, how can students become successful, happy, and find a career path in something that they enjoy? According to Mitchell, Levin, and Krumboltz (1999), the answer is Planned Happenstance. While in a whirlwind of lectures, papers, research, volunteer, work, family, friends, and having a social life, sometimes it can be a struggle to find out what your true passion even is because of the daily grind of everyday demands. As a result, many students end up concentrating on one field, and often, this choice occurs more out of necessity, rather than through a student’s enjoyment or genuine interest of the field. With the engrained notions that “you should finish school as soon as possible” in addition to “keep going to school until you figure it out”, it can again, be stressful to think about life passions and “doing what you love”, when students are pressured to choose something right away. Moreover, in a world with thousands of job possibilities and schooling opportunities, students are often pressed for time. But what exactly is the “correct” decision to achieve success? What happens when your “game plan”, the plan you have worked towards your whole life, is no longer an option? What happens when a problem or life-changing situation occurs to you or the people around you, and your plans need to be drastically altered? Indeed, it can be quite devastating to find yourself feeling panicky and lost when you have calculated out your life to the tiniest detail, only to have those plans derailed. When going through the motions of life, there is often a tendency to think that in order to achieve success, students need to move forward in a logical, linear direction. However, these words can seem empty and vague for those who know how competitive the job market can be, especially as an increasing number of students are emerging with university degrees all over the world. In today’s society, many students are told to “follow your heart” or to “do what you love and the rest will follow”.
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