How do I decide what to do as a Multipotentialite?
I'm currently a sophomore in college, and found myself watching a Ted Talk a few months back by Emilie Wapnick on choosing careers and life paths where she introduced a term she coined called a "Multipotentialite". On her website, she defines it as: "A person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life." Basically, someone who jumps from passion to passion in life, as though a career-nomad, feeling like one is without a 'true calling'. I find myself fitting this definition to a tee, and though it brings me some security knowing that there are others out there who suffer from horrible indecision and lack of life purpose, I am still curious as to what kinds of careers are out there for 'Multipotentialites'. So, in a nutshell, I suppose my question is how to find and enter one career field as someone who wants to do a little bit of everything. #career #psychology #education #career-counseling #career-choice #career-path
4 answers
Gary’s Answer
Hi,
Great word...Multipotentialite...I never knew that this is what I was as well when I was growing up! :)
I spent a lot of time researching careers, jobs, companies and eventually figured out I like research and I like helping people with their careers...this may be over simplistic for you depending on your potentials and interests.
The great thing is that you can do as many or as few things as you like ... many people have many different careers and jobs in their lives so you can potentially try them all. I tried a lot of different things in the military reserves for example (air force, army and national guard). My degree plan was Interdisciplinary Studies (very liberal) and allowed me to take a lot of different classes and have a lot of electives so I could "try out" different interests. I ended up studying most Business and Psychology, which gave me a very broad range of career choices. Now, with online education it is easier to take a variety of courses in different fields to try them out. You can also do internships, part time jobs and even full time temporary jobs to figure out what you want to pursue.
Hope this helps a little...good luck!
Gary- Thanks a ton for answering. Sharing your own experience with 'trial and error' (one might call it) regarding your studies and career paths was extremely helpful, as I feel like I can relate to a lot of your own experiences. Being a sophomore in college, I'm having to declare my major this semester, and that has been putting even more pressure on picking a path. Still, very similar to what you said, we don't really have to choose just one thing and be stuck doing it for the rest of our lives. Your words were insightful and I greatly appreciated them.
Thomas
shashidhara’s Answer
I spent a lot of time researching careers, jobs, companies and eventually figured out I like research and I like helping people with their careers...this may be over simplistic for you depending on your potentials and interests.
The great thing is that you can do as many or as few things as you like ... many people have many different careers and jobs in their lives so you can potentially try them all. I tried a lot of different things in the military reserves for example (air force, army and national guard). My degree plan was Interdisciplinary Studies (very liberal) and allowed me to take a lot of different classes and have a lot of electives so I could "try out" different interests. I ended up studying most Business and Psychology, which gave me a very broad range of career choices. Now, with online education it is easier to take a variety of courses in different fields to try them out. You can also do internships, part time jobs and even full time temporary jobs to figure out what you want to pursue.
Hope this helps a little...good luck!
Paul A Coulter
Paul A’s Answer
Hi Thomas! Great word "Multipotentialite' One may have to discern the difference between a Multipotentialite and A Wandering Generality. The key difference is nail down some of your more obvious interests, talents, personal preferences and gifts, gain high as you can stretch skill-sets for them and then keep adding. Watch Ted and other video's on You Tube. Some examples would be Kyle Cease, Mike Dooley, Robert Kiyosaki as a place to start.
!0 years from now there will be a new word that will offer new vistas. Grow where you are planted and be led by your intuition, curiosity and imagination. Maybe "Perfervid" will be a word that describes you best then. google The Self Directed Search and for less then $10.00 become more acutely self aware. The best on your journey!
Rachel Resnick
Rachel’s Answer
<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>
This professional recommends the following next steps:
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
- <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>