When I was a kid I wanted to be a dolphin trainer or a chocolatier. In high school, my career advisor told me I shouldn’t aim for either of those things – at least, she strongly implied it. Well, look at me now, Christine! I’ve built up a lucrative niche in crafting specialty chocolate treats for dolphins. It’s the best of both worlds: no degree in marine biology required, and no risk of me eating all the chocolates.
They’re specially formulated, see, to meet the nutritional needs of dolphins. The blend has a high proportion of krill, and the chocolate is some kind protein that bonds to dolphin taste receptors in a way that somehow resembles chocolate. That’s what the scientists tell me, anyway. Of course, they’re presented as cute little truffles. Dolphin researchers and keepers use them as incentives to get the dolphins to do stuff. It might not sound like much of a market, but you’d be surprised.
All in all, it’s lucky I ignored that bit of student career advice. At Melbourne schools, careers is almost like its own subject area, and of course the quality of advice supplied is going to vary widely. For that reason, I’m not at all against career counselling in general, but Christine… oh, Christine. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one she tried to dissuade from pursuing their dream.
Then again, maybe she did push me to think more critically about my goal and how to go about it. I mean, technically speaking, I’m not a dolphin trainer or a chocolatier (since neuron-bonding proteins don’t actually qualify as chocolate). What I actually wanted was to do something involving dolphins and making cute little truffle creations. So, in a way, maybe Christine was onto something.
I’ll give you some complimentary career change advice. Professionals Melbourne wide could benefit from this gem, I’m telling you. Here we go: it’s not about the training or the chocolate. It’s all about the dolphins and the cute truffles. That’s all you need to know to achieve a successful and rewarding career.