Career Day

I've been asked to give a presentation at my son's middle school tomorrow for Career Day.

Which career should I talk about? I've worn many hats: writer, editor, entrepreneur, Web pioneer, mediator, magician. I have had so many "careers" that, in truth, I've arguably had none.

And what can I possibly tell them, knowing that whatever jobs these kids will someday have, in 2020, don't even exist yet today. Maybe that's the lesson. Gone are the days when someone would embark on a career at 22 and retire 40-odd years later from the same field, much less the same company.

For the generation currently entering the work force, the big question when they were kids was, "What will you be when you grow up?" It should have been: "What will you DO?" We've created a generation of aspirers, not achievers. Everybody wants to be; nobody wants to do.

My daughter majors in Russian Studies in college. People ask, "Why? What kind of job can she get with that?" And: "What does she want to be?"

"She's pursuing her passion," I explain. "She's doing what she enjoys." She's doing. And maybe that's the lesson.