I can’t take full credit for the title of this article. In fact, I can’t take any credit for it. One of my literary heroes by the name of Roger Pond penned an article by the same title many years ago, if my memory serves me right. If I had to guess, it was in the early 2000s in late May or early June, when many high school and college graduations were taking place. The phrase stuck with me because I was a college student at the time and it seemed like good advice. I clipped the article and filed it away for future use. I can still picture the folder I stuck it in along with quite a few other articles I saved from the Farm World weekly newspaper. I say that I can picture the folder because I certainly can’t find it at the moment.

I’ll be the first to admit that now being at the tender young age of 42, I’m not in a position to be handing out sage advice to the general population. Roger wrote his final article in 2010 but his words still ring true today. He wanted to offer some guidance to recent graduates as they started writing the next chapter of their own lives. I won’t attempt to recreate his article but I’ll give you my take on it as I remember.

Years ago, when there were more dirt roads and less paved roads, ruts would form and once you got in one, it would be hard to turn out of it. The story goes that on the Alaska-Canada (Alcan) Highway back in the 1960’s, a sign was posted when crossing into Alaska that read, “Choose your rut carefully – you will be in it for the next 200 miles.” Even today, anyone who has been on a badly rutted lane or has been four-wheeling knows what ruts can be like.

For recent graduates, the idea is not that you have to get stuck in a rut, but rather, once you start down a given route for your life or your career, it can be hard to change directions abruptly. You don’t hear of very many cruise boat captains jumping ship to become brain surgeons, and I don’t know of the last time I heard of an accountant becoming a heavy equipment operator and trading his calculator for a crane. The skills acquired in one line of work can be hard to translate into another profession. It’s not impossible to chart a new course with your chosen career, but then again, it’s not easy, either.

College internships or even part-time jobs in high school can open doors to future careers. Connections made at that time can lead to full-time work farther on down the road. Again, just because you work in fast food for a summer doesn’t mean you are destined to be head chef at a five-star restaurant. As my mom always said, “You can do anything for a little while.” But as you take on more meaningful full-time work, consider what skills you might learn on the job and where that position might take you later on. Take into account what interests you and what you are good at. The job you start today may just be what you retire from decades from now. In the words of Roger Pond, “Choose your rut wisely.”

Reach BJ Price at 937-456-5159 for more information.