Coincidental Career Coaching
From the desk of: Arielle Hardy
Ballroom instructor, event staff, festival assistant, marketing consultant, fundraiser —> event planner. Quite the portfolio for a business professional / arts administrator! Sometimes being a “jack-of-all trades” manifests into an adventurous career path, and a chance encounter inspires a new perspective. The most profound career wisdom I have ever received came from an Uber drive, despite this interaction catalyzing a quarter-life crisis.
Like many mid-twenty-somethings, I had been reflecting on my career with distress. A rite of passage in young adulthood, if you will. Moving across the country solo, pursuing a career adjacent to my passion, and attempting to make use of two degrees that didn’t resonate with me? Brave (... maybe insane). Later realizing that associating passion with career turns what I love into “work”, which removes joy from it? Disorienting.
One snowy New England morning, I ordered an Uber to work because my car wouldn’t start. Lovely. Frazzled, I didn’t speak much during the ride. The driver, unprompted, told me about his daughter, whose career situation paralleled mine: same age, a performer, working in the arts, yet miserable despite this being what she thought she wanted. Confusion. Shock. Awe. Upon leaving, he gently said, “It’s okay to pursue your passion and realize it wasn’t the right path for you.”
… I’m almost certain my soul left my body.
The concept that a career may differ from education history, or that the ad age “turn your passion into your profession,” isn’t universal advice, had never occurred to me. I can choose a new path? Yes. I don’t have to feel stuck? No. It’s not too late? Of course not! This was a learning experience, and I gained a plethora of knowledge/ skills along the way. Fully exploring that route was not a waste of time; it was necessary. In fact, older colleagues have shared that most people don’t “figure it out” until their fifties! Typically, as children, we know exactly what our “purpose” is, but we’re conditioned out of pursuing it due to societal pressure / expectations during adolescence. Apparently, in midlife, it’s almost as if your inner child’s brain reactivates to remind you of who you wanted to be (hence the midlife crisis).
So, until little me awakens from her dream state, I’ll continue exploring what feels right at this point in my life: event planning! Since attending my first live concert, I’ve had a growing curiosity for event services. I remember how all eyes were on the artist, but mine were on the audience! A group of strangers celebrating a shared love for something together was one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve ever had. That sensation deeply fascinated me. It was proof that common humanity exists, and I wanted to contribute to this phenomenon.
Although hospitality is a naturally high-stress industry, event planning is the only “work” I’ve consistently enjoyed thus far. Why? Because events are a creative outlet that allow me to serve others through memorable, life-changing moments - much like that snowy Uber ride.