“Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?”

Don’t wait your whole life to figure it out.

“I see myself in a managerial role, hopefully leading a team and taking on more responsibility for managing the Chemicals portfolio,” I say to the interviewer for the role of a Chemicals Analyst.

The interviewer nods, as he is supposed to, to an answer that he was expecting to hear. No surprises there.

2 weeks later, I get the job and go on the path of doing what I am told.

2 years later, I’m in an office with my manager for our monthly check-in. These meetings go the same every time. We go over my performance for the past month, he makes some remarks about the good and the bad, and we move on from there. This time, the meeting goes differently. Resignation letter in hand, this is not where I’m supposed to be.

2 years ago, I was fresh out of University, desperate for any job, because “employed” was what I was supposed to be. “Employed” gets you nods of approval instead of uncomfortable, confused silences that follow when there is clear way to label you. The lack of identity is confusing for you, sure, but it’s so much worse for anyone trying to make sense of how they would judge you, and how they should treat you.

Anything is better than nothing, you think, as you spill out rehearsed answers to the Top 5 Questions Interviewers Will Surely Ask You.

This might work for a while, but you can’t live a good life avoiding your own truth. Eventually, the constraints binding you into the role you’ve conformed to will give way to the person you were meant to be. It will happen eventually, so don’t wait your whole life to figure it out.