I am, by nature, a planner. I have a Notion page for every aspect of my life, and I like knowing what comes next. So when I say that the most useful thing I have done for myself is let go of the plan I started with, understand this didn’t come easy. 

I came to college with pre-med ambitions — very neat on paper. The only problem was that I also lived for fashion — me, in scrubs all day? Absolutely not. I also had an obsession with art history and a writing habit that somehow led me to join three campus publications in a single semester.

Oh, and I get bored easily — not ideal for someone planning to spend decades in one specialty.

So the plan changed. Now I am thinking about fashion or art law, a path that makes room for my analytical and structured side as well as my love for the creative and, yes, the glamour. I am not going to pretend the glamour isn’t important.

But let’s make one thing clear: I didn’t abandon planning. Now, I just know that I want my career to work for me, and not the other way around. 

The traditional career model is built on one assumption: Climb the ladder and you will be satisfied. But that assumes there is only one ladder, and everyone wants to reach the same level. In reality, there are multiple ladders, and the more interesting question is not how high you can go up one, but which ones are worth climbing at all.

I still have plenty of ambition. Maybe I will hold a senior leadership role or a CEO title someday. These things are absolutely on the table — but so is spending a few years as a lawyer first.

I am open to switching careers when something more compelling comes along. The idea that I have to pick one ladder and work my way up a single firm, in a single field, for decades, seems like a very narrow definition of success to me. 

And that definition will also vary among individuals. For me, financial compensation is non-negotiable. For someone else, it might be flexibility or creative freedom. All are valid, and if yours does not fit into a single preconceived ladder, you are not doing anything wrong.

I know too well the complexity of having multiple interests, but having range is not a problem —  it is an asset. A non-linear path doesn’t require you to choose between the parts of yourself, but rather asks you to make them work together. 

So, how do you actually make it work ? 

Start by identifying what you will not compromise on.

For me, that is financial security and variety — a career that doesn’t provide me the financial comfort to fully indulge in my free time. I also know that staying in the same career, no matter how impressive it may be, will make me miserable. Those are my non-negotiables, and everything else will be built around them.

Then look for the overlap. Where do your interests meet your actual skills? I could frame fashion law as a compromise between my fun side and my serious side, but I prefer to see it as the place where they finally converge. And honestly, I am convinced I have not found all the combinations yet.

Once again, none of this means throwing out your spreadsheet. It just means building a better one that accounts for the fact that you will change, your priorities will shift and the version of you that is making decisions at 20 is working with incomplete data. In STEM, we call that updating your hypothesis when new evidence comes in.

The goal is to build something that fits the person you are becoming. And if that person wants a bit of fun, don’t forget to give it to them.