This apprenticeship pattern describes how we should approach our careers when we are put into a situation where we feel like we are stuck and don’t know where to go. This situation is different than plateauing where you know don’t know what to do next but still need to grow our skills in our career. What we need to do next is to “Jump in the Deep End” and take on situations that make us uncomfortable with the likelihood of failure. They give us an example with Enrique where he was stuck with working at a place where he didn’t feel like anything was being done with his life, so he took a leap of faith. In that leap of faith, he ended up in Nigeria where the original plan failed but was able to come up with a new solution. This story sets an example of how if we don’t try and fail then there is something we are not doing right. To avoid trying to be stuck in a rut, maybe we can try taking the work we’ve done and comparing it to one another so see where our careers are heading to and to maybe see what we can improve on in the next one.
What I’ve taken from this pattern is that we shouldn’t be scared from taking a leap into uncharted territories. If we have not failed then we haven’t attempted anything that’s been worth while for our careers. Being stuck and not doing anything about it would result in our careers being at a complete stand still and not a plateau. Growth only happens from taking on projects that are scary and will push you to your limits, and it’s that kind of work that will push you out of being stuck. When faced with a situation where you fail, it might open the doors to finding a new solution that you might be able to recognize.
This pattern has made been insightful in how I should approach the future when I feel like I don’t know what to do in my career. It has also reminded me of time’s where I have been in ruts at the places where I have worked. In those situations I have felt as though with the work I was doing, there was nothing more than I could do and I was just comfortable doing what I always did. Not once did I even jump into the deep end and allowed for myself to be at a stand still for too long. If I jumped into the deep end at least once, I would have gotten out of there earlier.
From the blog CS@Worcester – Life as a CS Student by Dylan Nguyen and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.