Until five years ago, I was still going down the "standard" Architect path. It wasn't easy taking that first leap. After a dozen different positions, several different companies, I feel closer to being my version of an Architect than ever before. Lately, I've been talking to a lot of worried people about their next steps. This is for you. Change is never easy, but it's thrilling and fulfilling. Each different experience can bring you closer to your authentic self.
We're all imposters: you are not your title
The first hump of making a change is losing our current identity. As architects, we feel our personal identity is closely wound around the title. We are not unique in this, any career professional faces some lapse in identity whenever the role changes. Especially at the start of our careers, when we are so used to our school, class, or major being a part of our identity. Our work titles seem like a natural extension of that.
This doesn't mean that your role or title is the defines you. Architect to me defines an approach to seeing the world and thinking about problems, as long as I'm practicing architecture this way, I don't feel any less of an architect. New job titles are being invented all the time, so the important thing is how your work contributes towards your goals.
Behind our suits and LinkedIn profiles, we're just meat bags looking for a mission. Titles given to us, but we get to choose whether our title is us, or just a part of us.
Wander with purpose: goal plan for your future
"Wander with purpose" was a tagline on a WeWork summer camp t-shirt. It has stuck with me every time I had to re-evaluate what I was doing. "Feeling lost" happens all the time to everyone, but "not all who wander are lost"
My mom always told me that "you'll have anxiety having fun if you don't do your homework". It turns out in adult life that's also true. Having a simple list of goals you can revisit at the minimum allows you to embrace less anxiety-laced fun. Wander in your path, but wander with purpose in mind.
In Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, habit 2 is Keep the End in Mind. Something that clicked for me was that goals don't have to be the one or the same all the time. The exercise itself of committing time towards a goal, especially a difficult one, will validate how close it is to your passion. You don't even have to create your own original vision, most people follow a vision that resonates with them.
It may feel like it at first but having many goals isn't the same as picking up a bunch of different hobbies. Quitting your job and taking a data boot camp for your long-term goal of being an urban researcher is different than taking a data boot camp to "see what happens". Wandering with purpose will make you question whether the step you are about to take is the right step for all the steps you need to take after.
Keeping the end in mind and shedding goals that resonate less as you pursue them helps you push time towards the ones that do. But don't throw away the work just yet, past goals have a funny way of working themselves back into your life. Pieces will always fit more clearly in retrospect.
The 10 Year Plan
There are a ton of goal-setting frameworks and systems to try out. I currently have around 17 goals planned in this system. Don't take it too seriously but do revisit it often and move things around.
1. Plan some targets 10 years out
10 years is a lot of time, so allow yourself some crazy 10 year goals. If you think about where you were 10 years ago, the world and you probably looked very different.
2. Plan backward to more immediate time ranges
I use 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, 6 months, 3 months, and pause (for goals that are currently out of focus)
shorter-term goals should contribute to your bigger long-term goals.
3. Give yourself the freedom to move your goals around
Moving a goal to a closer timeframe feels awesome. You've made progress!
Checking off a goal that was far into the future feels amazing. You've seized the day!
Moving a goal back is fine! as long you're still working on it.
Closing a goal is also fine! You're learning what you want to do.
Learn to learn: be a more absorbent sponge
Continuing to learn is probably the most fun part of this whole experience. The startup concept of "building the plane while falling out of the sky" is true of most new roles as well. There are many who have built planes before. With the magic of the internet, you can find tons of resources for almost any task.
Learning works hand in hand with pursuing long-term goals. Jumping into another field or job will always have some crossover with what you know, but often there's a vast ocean of things you don't. Developing knowledge and capability in our personal time is always something you have control over. As new capabilities develop and new roles emerge, more opportunities will open up.
You are not alone! Especially with COVID learning communities that span every niche crossover are becoming more and more accessible. There are people who've gone down paths you are looking at pursuing, their experience helps you understand whether that's the step you want to take.
Never before has knowledge been so accessible. Learning to learn increases your ability to tackle new problems outside of your comfort zone, and through that creates confidence to take on bigger and bigger challenges
Take the leap: choices are made not given
I'm a big cheerleader for just going after it, but everyone is in different circumstances. I was privileged to have the support of my parents and my now wife through my journey. Their understanding allowed me to focus on making each change as successful as I can. The past five years have been a whirlwind, and I eagerly look forward to the challenges that await me in the next 5.
If you are thinking about taking a similar leap, remember these three things. Your identity is yours to define, no title high or low changes who you are. Plan for the long term, it helps clarify what the focus is today. Work on learning as a core skill, it's an accelerator of all things.
I'm not a licensed therapist, but if you are having these woes, maybe I can help.