Wording Tim Johnson – Principal, Local Real EstateIf you’ve ever been the proud owner of a meticulously crafted multi-year business or life plan, you’re not alone. Having a long-term plan often gives people a sense of comfort and direction. The truth, however, is that life doesn’t follow a linear pathway, and to be fair it would be pretty boring if it did. This isn’t to say that setting goals or a vision for what you’d like the future to look like doesn’t have merit; it’s just that being too narrow might mean you miss out on other opportunities or pathways that could lead to an even more interesting and fulfilling destination.
I always chuckle at how seriously we took our strategic business planning at the end of 2019, and then with absolute certainty and conviction presented our long-term roadmap, beautifully packaged into the subsequently obsolete PowerPoint Presentation entitled ‘Vision 20/20’. Needless to say, 2020 had other ideas and when we finally emerged from the other side of the Pandemic, we had changed our Destination, Route, Mode of Transport and Passengers. The moral is that sometimes if we think too far ahead, we might as well be using a vintage compass to guide us, rather than GPS.
As if to highlight my point further, I am in my second year as the Executive Head of our school, Carlyle College, in Nottingham Road. Three years ago, the idea of taking this challenge on would have been unthinkable, a complete directional change. My experience is limited to the amount of time I spent in the headmaster’s office as a youngster. Yet, here I am at forty-something, feeling like the new kid, forging a path in a different sector that I am becoming more passionate about as each day goes by.
I think it is this lived experience that also defines my feelings about some of the archaic and unhelpful paradigms that exist in the educational landscape and the pressure that is being exerted on our kids from a young age. In particular, this is evident in the obsession many parents or schools seem to have with ‘making all the right decisions’ when it comes to their children's subject choices or career pathways. Remember when you were a teenager and adults would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It felt like a trick question because, honestly, most of us were still figuring out if we liked pineapple on pizza. Here’s the kicker. Being expected to choose a career pathway at a young age doesn’t just seem unrealistic, it’s downright out of touch with how careers and personal interests actually evolve.
At a young age, it’s tough to fully grasp what you’re good at or what skills and talents you’ll develop over time. Unless you are one of the lucky few to find your calling in your teens, forcing yourself into a specific career path too early on can limit your potential and prevent you from discovering what you’re truly capable of. I prefer the idea of allowing your skills and strengths to evolve naturally as you gain more experiences.
You can take it from the son of a Farmer, who wanted to be a Paediatrician, studied Industrial Psychology, sold vacuum cleaners, ran an Advertising Agency, is the Principal of his own Estate Agency and now runs a School in Nottingham Road. There is no clear pathway forward, only the one that has gotten us to where we are...for now.