You Majored in What? (3 page)

CHAOS THEORY AND YOUR CAREER

Just as complex factors influence the weather, the path to a career can be complex with all sorts of intervening variables, including family origin, level of education, individual skills and talents, the job market, and so on. And just like weather forecasting, career planning is a form of prediction, right? Aren’t you trying to guess the career path you’ll pursue in the future based on the degree you’re pursuing, the experiences you’ve had, or what you like or dislike? And isn’t it easier to predict what you’ll do this evening (or even this semester) than what you’ll be doing in two years?

Traditional chaos theory is a mathematical model that serves as an excellent basis and metaphor for the Wise Wanderings system. To see how this works, let’s consider five basic tenets of chaos theory and how they apply to career planning:

1. Chaos theory helps us predict the outcome of complex situations by asking us to
assess what we currently know, what we cannot know, and what we can learn.
Then we can make reasonable choices based on that information. So instead of trying to predict a future you can’t see, you can start your career planning by focusing on what you know right now, what you don’t know, and what you can learn. What you probably know right now is that you have a variety of interests and talents and you aren’t ready to make a decision. You aren’t ready to—and cannot—predict the future, but you can also see that it’s not total anarchy: you do have some ideas and interests you could pursue if you wanted to. So instead of having to make a career choice right now, consider yourself in an information-gathering phase. Is the pressure lessening already?

2. Chaos theory relies on abductive reasoning (as opposed to simple deductive and inductive reasoning of linear theory), which says
we can’t base decisions on single factors or traits.
We make better decisions when we look at the big picture, stay open-minded, and consider a variety of perspectives. And chaos theory even has a nice term for changing your mind: it’s called phase shifting. So you don’t need to base your career plans on one piece of information, such as your major, or find the simple answer to
THE QUESTION
. You can find the patterns and connections between your interests, knowledge, and experiences and know that a variety of career choices are available to you—and during your lifetime you may try them all! You will not only tolerate but also welcome the ambiguity, recognizing that what others might call cluelessness you can call open-mindedness, because you know lots of unexpected opportunities await and you’re not ready to limit yourself.

3. Chaos theory assumes that change occurs constantly and that the unexpected and unpredicted will occur. As you develop your career plans, you’ll encounter changes (or what chaos theory calls emergent variables) that will lead to new paths. Just think back to the psychology major who planned to teach psychology. She went through a series of events (what chaos theory calls recursive changes): an interesting class, internship, and job offer that resulted in her plans to open an art gallery. And who knows where she’ll be in ten years? This is one of the most fun aspects of applying chaos theory to careers. All you have to do is pay attention and take advantage of those emerging variables. Isn’t it great that something’s coming up that will propel you forward in ways you haven’t even considered yet?

4. Now, just in case you’re getting a little nervous about all these changes that seem out of your control, chaos theory comes to the rescue because it holds that
systems will ultimately reveal an order.
This is a key piece of knowledge: what looks like chaos isn’t always chaotic. You may just be too close to it to see the organizing patterns. Chaos looks orderly from afar and so will your career. By using the Wise Wanderings system, you’ll begin to see the order to your seeming career chaos. And while you may not see a coherent pattern in what you’re doing right now, you’ll learn to think about the connections you’re building between your classes, your experiences, and so on. You get to create your future, and suddenly the major that seemed to be a problem and a source of concern might actually be a part of the solution. You will start to see this more clearly when you create the Wandering Map in Chapter 2 and perform other exercises in this book.

5. Finally, chaos theory describes several attractors that grab our attention and control our behavior.
Point attractors
move us toward or away from something; for instance, a party is usually a point attractor for college students and a raise or promotion is a point attractor for someone at work. Point attractors cut through the chaos because they keep you focused on one specific item and not the whole chaotic scene. Later in this book you’ll learn to analyze your point attractors and develop new ones that will help you move forward without the stress.
Pendulum attractors
are two or more points that we move between. Attending graduate school or working after graduation might be two pendulum attractors that you move between. Or perhaps you are stuck between two seemingly opposing goals, such as “I want to help people but I want to make money” or “I should start a career but I’d really like to take a year off.”The Wise Wanderings system will help you look for creative ways to resolve the tension that keeps you from making a choice or, for that matter, feeling as if you to have to choose. (You don’t, by the way.)
Strange attractors
are unpredictable or random events that don’t repeat. Later, you’ll identify your strange attractors and use them to your advantage or keep them from distracting you. Finally,
torus attractors
represent cycles of behavior we repeat. By analyzing your torus attractors you’ll be able to break cycles of behavior (like procrastination) that might impede your job search or career plans.

On the surface, chaos theory seems more complicated than linear theory. And perhaps it is. Life is more complicated now than in 1909. But you’re smart and, as you’ve already discovered, applying linear theory to your future is a joke—and a bad one at that. The chaos theory tenets behind the Wise Wanderings system give you the confidence to welcome the seeming chaos of your future as you learn that what appears chaotic is actually well organized and ordered. Linear approaches get thrown off by change; chaos theory harnesses the power of change. Linear approaches can make you nervous: Are you limited by your choice of major? Do you have to have a career goal? And what do you do if you don’t have one? Chaos theory says, “Relax.” A world of possibilities is within your grasp and you don’t need a specific goal. And you don’t need to answer
THE QUESTION
. Chaos theory says, “Let’s get going—a butterfly awaits.”

The Classics at Work:

CAREERS, CHAOS, AND THE ANCIENT GREEKS

Did you know the ancient Greeks had a word—
metos
—for your career path?

In her book,
Learning to Think Strategically,
Julia Sloan defines
metos
as “the ability to oscillate or steer a course between the world of order (cosmos), of forms and laws, and to deal with the world of chaos, which includes the multiple, the unstable, and the unlimited nature of affairs.”

The Greeks didn’t strive for certain knowledge. They knew that there would always be tension between order and chaos. Their goal was to take into account the conflicting information and be willing to bend the course of action to take advantage of opportunities and avoid problems. Odysseus was highly respected for his ability to use forethought and planning to chart courses in chaotic environments. To see a modern adaptation of
The Odyssey,
watch
O Brother, Where Art Thou
and study how the character of Ulysses (played by George Clooney) manages the many chaotic events in his journey back to his wife.

WISE WANDERINGS INTO YOUR FUTURE

So what do you think about this new approach? Is it helping you relax a little? Are you less worried about where your degree might lead? Are you psyched about the “butterfly” that might be just around the corner? Maybe you’ve even started to think the career that seemed unrealistic just a day or so ago might actually be a possibility.

Or do you have some concerns? The most common question or concern expressed, aside from the complexity of the theory, is “Isn’t this method simply random trial and error? After all, if you can’t predict the future, and you’re waiting for a butterfly effect, isn’t that a rather passive approach?”

Not at all. Trial and error implies a thoughtless and random experimental process. Throughout this book you will weigh evidence, take note of what works and what doesn’t, and draw mindful conclusions. Everything is potentially revealing—you just have to focus your thinking to start drawing helpful information from your experiences. And there’s nothing passive about what you will be asked to do in your job search. You will be constructing powerful stories, résumés, and letters. You are going to actively wander, try out new ideas, and take advantage of unknown opportunities, but you will be doing so in a directed, mindful manner. That’s why the system is called Wise Wanderings and not simply Wanderings. Thanks to this new approach, you will:

• use your knowledge of chaos theory to create a resilient career strategy that will serve you throughout your life;

• adapt to change and not be defeated by it;

• be open to possibilities, without simply going any way the wind blows;

• know you are in charge and can create each and every day of your life;

• have a direction, even though you’re not arrogant or mindless enough to think that life will be served up in one neat linear package.

• embrace the chaos of your life and take it as a source of pride.

In the next chapter you will put your new knowledge of chaos theory to work and create a Wandering Map that will help you organize all the experiences, skills, and knowledge you have developed. You just need to be willing to try them out. There is a wonderful Spanish saying, “La vida es corta pero es ancha,” which means “Life is short, but it is wide.” You have a breadth and depth of worlds to discover thanks to your education, so let’s start wandering into it. Wisely.

WISDOM BUILDERS

•••••>

BUTTERFLY MOMENTS IN YOUR LIFE SO FAR

As you look back on your life, can you identify what Dickens called “memorable days” or occurrences in your life that started you on a new and unexpected direction?

• Maybe it was the day you decided which college to attend.

• Maybe it was the day someone gave you a valuable piece of advice.

• Maybe it was a day you learned a new skill.

• Maybe it was a decision your parents made.

How does this new knowledge about your life affect your job search or career plans? Take a few minutes to write down those experiences and what changed in your life as a result.

Unexpected event: _______________________________________________________
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Result: _______________________________________________________
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Result: _______________________________________________________
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You Majored in
What?

You will have days like this in the future. The trick is to be aware of them when they happen and take advantage of the opportunity offered to you at that time.

ARE YOU ON A LINEAR PATH?

Have you already decided the career you plan to pursue? Describe the connections between the courses you’re taking and your experiences so far that connect you to this career.
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Jot down some ideas for future classes and experiences:
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UNCOVERING THE POWER OF YOUR WANDERINGS