The long way round

Upon graduating from college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do next.

I knew I was interested in psychology - my then major - but not enough to pursue a master’s degree.

I also knew that I had a wealth of other interests - including marketing, teaching, writing, entrepreneurship, and cooking - and thought I’d explore those options before committing to something long-term.

Long story short: that’s not what happened.

Instead, I took a different path. I ended up working for five years in a combination food & beverage and retail jobs.

I could tell you this wasn’t the best of decisions, given how lots of folks and friends my age ended up in much high-paying jobs (and likely have even higher paying jobs today).

I could also tell you that I regret the path I took.

But, the fact is, I don’t.

Working in retail taught me many valuable lessons, and it’s made me a better person because of it.

It taught me about a dozen transferable skills — skills that hard to teach.

I also learned about sales and product marketing. About what makes people tick and what compels them to buy.

Best of all, I now get to say I have a 'combined 5 years of experience in espresso-based beverage-making, premium tea selling, and specialty-food merchandising'--because I do.

It's taken a long time to acknowledge it, and great deal of listening to what other people have had to say on the subject, but I'm now convinced--absolutely--that having more experience and more exposure to other roles in other industries is an asset, not a liability.

In fact, we'd all do better to take the long way round, more often, in business and in life.