What am I going to do when I turn 22?

The Wall Street Journal did a great interview with Alain de Botton (link on the title). He's sort of a philosopher of everyday life.

For me the most interesting part of the interview:

When college graduates are trying to figure out what careers to pursue, what should they ask themselves?

The process demands such a vast amount of thought that it's hard to summarize other than by saying: take this moment in your life very, very seriously. I studied the world of career counseling and was amazed by just how casually people continue to fall into jobs. Most of us are still in jobs chosen for us by our unthinking 22-year-old selves. We speak endlessly about waste: waste of energy, of resources, of water. But the most shameful waste is of people's talents.

Alain is smart; I agree with most of what he says in the interview. But I take issue with this response. I don't agree that the moment of decision at 22 is vitally important. And I think Alain is making a mistake to emphasize it for three reasons.

1. If a 22 year old is reading the transcript of his interview and is more than a little unsure about the direction of his life, then de Botton's words will likely cause mor harm than good. 22 is a tender age--having plenty of reasons to be insecure. de Botton isn't helping to ease the decision process.

2. If a 22 year old doesn't have a good idea of what to do next, then he probably won't make the ideal choice when forced to decide. de Botton is right--what we do for work is important. We spend forty or more hours a week working--it should be somewhat interesting and fulfilling. But I do not believe that a 22 year old will discover what interests or fulfills him by sitting down with a pen and paper and trying to make a career decision. Rather, he should examine his life for trends and interests that point toward his calling. What does he like doing now? Can he somehow make a living doing that thing and doing it well?

(Side Note) Some folks know what they are going to do for a career at age 10; some at age 20; others don't figure it out until later. I think that self reflection and career planning are useful regardless of when a person makes the career decision. And I think it's an ongoing process. I made a bad career decision at age 22, but now I'm 26 (so much wiser and more mature :P) and I have the experience and capacity to make better decisions.

3. Career decisions are important; however, peace and fulfillment do not come from obtaining the perfect job. And in truth, a job that is valued too highly will ultimately let us down. The economy is in constant flux and each of us will have to grow and adapt with the changing world in order to continue to provide value. If we stake too much hope on a single career done in an established way, then we will be left behind economically.

But my primary concern is spiritual--not economic.

The author of Ecclesiastes writes, "What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?"

Of course, the author was writing before organized labor and the subsequent establishment of the weekend and a retirement age. But you get the point: work and calling produce anxiety. However, they do not have to. There is One who offers peace that surpasses all understanding.