#career-change

#career-change

“I really honestly didn't know what NICU was,” Schloegl told TODAY's Sheinelle Jones. What he does remember clearly is the nurse who helped guide him. “She kept it so simple for me,” he recalled. “Her calm, confident demeanor, it was what I needed at that moment.” That week changed the course of his life.

Growing up, I expected to live the fast-paced life of a performer. I'm a Jersey girl with a New York City spirit. My dreams were set on being a principal actor on Broadway.

I can still remember my first flight, in 2002. It was magical. I was working as a tour guide in Myanmar. I met a British balloon pilot called Phil, who had a spare place on a flight. He offered to take me, too.

For years, Lorraine Pater had her eyes on the prize - making partner at KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms. She had interned at the company for two summers in college and joined its ranks of auditors right after graduating. She recalls spending one New Year's Eve doing an inventory audit of diamonds - counting them, measuring them and looking at their color and clarity to ensure they passed inspection.

As an Asian-American kid growing up to an immigrant mom in North Carolina, I was taught to follow the rules (no exceptions). I was a Boy Scout, graduated top of my class and was hired by Goldman Sachs immediately after graduating undergrad. I had followed what I thought was the "right" path. I was living in the greatest city in the world (New York City, of course) and working at one of the best companies in the world ... but none of it felt right.

The linear career path changed somewhere between the rise of the gig economy and the rise of artificial intelligence. Companies are restructuring. Some industries may collapse entirely in the next five years. I've gone from studying law to studying software entrepreneurship to being a self-improvement essayist. My career is still an "experiment in progress." The world of work is changing. And I'm changing with it.

Cameron Oaks Rogers almost didn't devote herself to Instagram and mental health. In her 20s, she was working in sales and trading at J.P. Morgan, running a food-focused Instagram on the side. And then, in one life-altering moment, she got hit by a car while crossing the street. "It was the moment I'm weirdly grateful for because it shifted everything for me," she told me via Zoom. She went on disability, and started meditating and journaling.

For years, Mitul Desai felt that the best way to deal with his little brother's schizophrenia was to avoid talking about it. His brother had become angry and withdrawn during his first year in college in 1996, and then started hearing and seeing things that weren't there. Over four years doctors told the family he had everything from alcoholism to bipolar disorder, until finally he got the correct diagnosis.

The Perfect Moment Probably Won't Ever Come That's because if you wait for it, wait for it, wait for the perfect moment, you could end up waiting for a long time, like forever. Life instead will deliver more messy, fruitcake batter-like moments. Life can be quite nuts-but fruitful if you take advantage of such moments, meaning take action. Therefore, take a baby step-a very small, immediately doable action-toward that career direction of interest.

Firstly, 2025 really took on the 'challenging times economically' baton from 2024 with gusto. I've written numerous times attempting to provide some guidance for people tackling uncertainty and a challenging economic landscape. From leaders struggling with team cuts to international students facing sponsorship challenges to professionals questioning their career paths; 2025 wasn't the return to abundance we all hoped for.

Late last year, after working at a county government job for 13 years, I accepted a better position with another city. The decision to leave had been simple; the old job had become stagnant, with few opportunities for professional growth. I had spent almost a year looking for something new, and I practically bulldozed the exit door when the offer finally came in.

I did not learn much about mechanical engineering at TUM due to my poor German skills. I ended up spending most of my time chatting with students from a wide range of disciplines. I was fascinated by the conversations about history, politics, law, art, literature, and philosophy. Because I knew almost nothing about these subjects, I felt like a child listening to thrilling tales of discovery in a new world. And like a child, I took those stories seriously.

Thanksgiving is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. Taking a day to pause and take time away from the daily grind to share a delicious homemade meal with family and friends has always filled me with gratitude. And this year, as my entire family gathers at my son's house in Durango, Colorado, for my granddaughter Kelly Jo's first Thanksgiving, I am particularly thankful.