Santa Clara University

Career Corner

The Curiosity Factor

Kathy Potter

I have the privilege of working with a client base that includes everyone from recent graduates to experienced professionals. I am constantly reminded of how differently someone just starting out and someone who has extensive years of work and other experiences think about careers. Yet, I find myself encouraging all clients, regardless of age, to consider one suggestion: Stay curious!

Most university students are required to make a choice of major by their junior year. Choosing from the smorgasbord of university offerings so early can result in what career counselors call "foreclosure," whereby the individual shuts down all options not chosen before he or she has had time to explore other areas of study. When a graduate is then faced with competing job opportunities, believing that the first job will determine the direction of his/her life, the pressure to make a "perfect" decision can be substantial.

Similarly, an alum with, say, 15 years of experience in one field-even if the experience was obtained in different jobs-might suffer from the same pressure to stay in an unsatisfying line of work because it seems too late to start something new. "Better to stay where I am," the thinking goes, "than to move to something new...which could be worse!" And, a change could be worse. But, it could also be much, much better. How is any person-recent graduate or seasoned alum-to know?

This is where the curiosity factor comes in. What if we encouraged people to ask themselves on a regular basis, "How is this major/job/career working for me? Am I feeding my soul as well as feeding my family? Am I using skills I enjoy using or do I need to try something new? What are some options out there for someone with my unique personality and gifts?" What if that person incorporated the statement, "I wonder…" into discussions about careers and job choices? Of course, a decision to move in some direction must be made. Being in constant indecision is not being curious; it's being conflicted! But, imagine the possibilities if a student used the university experience to explore life options as well as develop skills and knowledge that can be used in income-producing ways. Isn't that what higher education is partially about?

And, what if the experienced worker began to realize that life is not a rehearsal, that each person can play many roles, and that the world needs people with new ideas, novel approaches, risk-taking inclinations, with…well, curiosity!

By all means, let's help each other to make career decisions and move forward. But before we push someone toward action, perhaps we can provide a safe place, with lots of support, for exploring the options. We need to stay curious about what happens next.

Kathy Potter is assistant director of SCU's Career Center. She can be reached by phone at 408-554-4859 or by e-mail at kpotter@scu.edu.