Leap before you look? Not always.

This is what many of us do when we decide that what we’re doing isn’t going to be a great long-term fit:

Leap, then look.

I’m not knocking this method entirely, since I happened to follow the same path back in 2005, but there’s a “leap then look” that makes me really nervous. It’s when you leap into a high-debt, long-term commitment option like law school, medical school, or an MBA.

I’ve had too many conversations in the past three years with people who got knee-deep into a law program, medical school, or MBA and had no idea why they did it. Worse yet, they didn’t love it. Nor were they excited about the doors it might open.

I remember in grad school having a couple from our church over for dinner. I was sitting talking with the husband and asked him, “Tell me about the moment when you decided you wanted to be a lawyer and litigate for a living.” I was sincerely interested in what drove him to that decision. He looked at me, dropped his voice, and said, “I don’t actually know. In fact, I’m not sure I want to be a lawyer. I just didn’t know what else to do.” {Insert alarm bells here.}

I’m a fan of “leap then look,” but I’m a bigger fan of not leaping into additional schooling unless you’ve explored the way that extra schooling will align with your values, talents, or ideal environments. And maybe you’ve even decided that the schooling itself won’t do that, but perhaps the jobs it will prepare you for will align. I like that too.

But leaping into expensive commitments that require long-term investment without first looking is a bad idea. Get clear first. Extra schooling makes a great door-opener but a poor stop-gap while you decide what you might really want to do.

Now, if this is you — you’ve leapt into graduate school and aren’t sure you like where you’re headed — fear not. Hope is not lost. With a little self-reflection and some guidance you can leverage that degree and background into a career you love. After all, it’s not the job that will provide you satisfaction but the way you engage who you are. If you need some help seeing how this might work, check out my new book, Reset: How to Get Paid and Love What You Do. It’s available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as via Kindle.
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You can also hit me up at dustin@dustinpeterson.me. I’m here to help.