“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s a question we are all asked, at one point in time or another. And it seems that we are always way more certain about our future career paths the younger we are…why is that? Perhaps it goes back to Jason’s post last week around “What we Don’t Know we Don’t Know.” As we grow and learn more, we become more aware of what we don’t know and decision paralysis sets in! But how do we inform ourselves at an earlier age of all the possible career paths out there?

Many are on a mission to expose kids earlier than later to the options they have on the horizon, including a colleague I met earlier this year at the AASA Conference in California. Ronald Holmes hosts a blog and has recently authored a book – Professional Career Paths – to expose kids to the range of career choices available. Each chapter of the book highlights real people and their experiences across nearly every field you can think of.

Ronald did highlight myself – bridging the careers as both engineer and entrepreneur – which, particularly for women, are not as common. Other more traditional and even less traditional paths are highlighted, yet the consistent string pulling the full book together is that of adults telling their stories to inspire the younger generation.

Share your career path – whether curvy, linear, or even circular – no matter the shape of the path, it will expose – and inspire – the young ones to come!