I love talking to people about their career journeys. While each person’s story is unique, I often find that there’s a pattern in the way they tell them. They usually start with a childhood dream job that first inspired them, followed by their educational history, eventually leading them to their field of study.  

Many people share that their current career wasn’t the one they planned on pursuing. In fact, they sometimes ended up discovering their “dream job” wasn’t what they expected, and that they enjoyed doing something totally different. 

As someone with experience in two different fields of study (I hold a B.S.E. in chemical engineering and am currently working toward master’s degrees in public policy & business), I can relate.  

When I was working in engineering jobs, I loved the autonomy, responsibility, and fast pace. But over time, I realized that doing important tasks was not the same as doing important work. I didn’t know what that important work was yet, but I knew that for me, it was not in the highly technical and often rigid world of engineering.  

I considered many industries during my career transition, but ultimately ended up in an operations role in educational technology. Interestingly, the tasks of operating a manufacturing site and operating a traditional business overlap more than you might imagine. But the work felt different. I felt pride knowing that I was able to use my skills to help students succeed in college and engage in work that has a direct impact on people’s lives. 

This experience made me realize where we may have gone wrong in the discussion around career pathways in higher education: Instead of asking children what job they want to have; we should be asking them who they want to be at work.  

I realized I want to be someone who thinks about problems in new ways. I want to be a lifelong learner. I want to be someone who gives back to the people and systems that enabled me to get to where I am: Writing a blog post from my desk at the Department of Education.  

So how do we help the next generation channel who they want to be at work into their career journeys? K-12 institutions can build opportunities into their school calendars that expose young people to the vast array of careers & the people who occupy them. They should promote programs like “Civic Season,” which highlights educational events at hundreds of museums, historic sites, libraries, and archives across the country. And ultimately, we must stop perpetuating the narrative that we all end up in our “dream jobs” and that everyone has their career path figured out. Career shifts are not retreats or signs of indecision – they’re thoughtful decisions to move toward becoming the person you want to be.   

I feel closer to that person today than I felt when I started my internship at ED last month, and miles closer than when I was in college. The future is uncertain, but I feel so lucky to be on my journey. 

Chelsea Giller is a student volunteer intern on the Policy, Planning and Innovation team within the Office of Postsecondary Education. She is currently a dual degree master’s student in public policy and business at the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She is passionate about helping colleges and universities reinvent themselves to meet the needs of today’s students.