By Andy Osheroff, Director, Career & Employment Hub
When you ask ChatGPT “where should I go?” you will be prompted to provide additional information about what you are looking for. When you ask “where am I”, it will tell you it has no idea. When you are trying to go someplace, even with AI and all of our other fancy technology, you still need to provide two data points. Destination is the one that we love to think and talk about and takes up most of our attention. This is the one that can be overwhelming and complicated, particularly when it is unclear.
As you join the University of Southern Maine community or are returning this fall, it is likely that you feel a rush of everything that you need to do and want to accomplish. It is a fast moving and ever changing world, and there is always too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Add in the deluge of questions you frequently get about your plans after graduation, and suddenly thinking about your destination can become overwhelming.
However, I am here to tell you that knowing our destination is not the whole story. The other data point is just as important. Where are you now?
You are here.
A simple statement, yet so easily overlooked. You have already accomplished so much to be here, to begin this semester, to take courses, to be a part of this tremendous community. Yes, you are embarking on a great adventure, but don’t forget all that you have achieved to be here. It is through this appreciation of what we have accomplished, and the recognition of where we are, that we can plan a path forward.
Often, we are asked, with all of these choices and opportunities, to make a clear declaration about our destination. As a career office we know that it is not so clear. It is our role to help you experiment and find new paths. So, as all of these many options lay open before you at the start of this new academic year, take a brief moment to appreciate where you are now. When you are ready, we will be here to help explore your future.
We can’t wait to meet you.
Andy Osheroff, Director, Career & Employment Hub