Your path, your reasons
Navigating career choices in spite of confusion and disapproval from others
...just because YOU don't understand doesn't mean HE's confused.
This quotation requires a lot of context. I will first explain its implication to career development, and then I will provide its origin.
I once worked as a data scientist at a company, but received an offer by the same employer to work in digital marketing. After much deliberation and consultation with several mentors, I accepted the offer.
When I told the other data scientists about my decision, my co-worker Ted1 asked rhetorically (in front of everyone else in the office), "Why would you want to work in marketing?". He accentuated that last word with disgust.
I did not respond. I simply packed my belongings and went to my new desk.
Evidently, Ted found my decision to be bizarre; perhaps he thought that marketing was less lucrative, less prestigious, or less challenging than data science. However, there were other factors that were crucial to my decision.
I liked the people on the marketing team.
I was excited about the chance to try something new, but in a familiar environment that valued my skills.
I have a creative and customer-centric side to my personality, so I valued the chance to tap into those aspects in this new role.
Ted did not understand my decision, but I was not confused about it. I evaluated the pros and cons, and I knew that this was the best decision for me. With the benefit of hindsight, I am even more glad that I accepted this offer.
In your own career, you may encounter people like Ted.
They don't understand your decision at a certain juncture, and they react with befuddlement, disapproval, and a tremendous lack of curiosity.
They view the world through only their own value systems, and they do not recognize that other people have different values - and therefore react to the same situation in different ways.
These people may be superficial acquaintances, or they may be your family members and close friends.
No matter who they are, you must make decisions that are best for you - and not allow their confusion to deter you from your own path.
Once you have evaluated all the pros and cons, make your decision assertively. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from making the best decision for yourself. Tune out any other noise - including the ignorant disapproval of those who don't bother to understand you.
The quotation from the beginning of the article is from Bob Myers, the former President of Basketball Operations for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2012 to 2023. He was speaking to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod in 2020, and he was defending the superstar Kevin Durant for leaving the Warriors to join the Brooklyn Nets.
Brian Witt wrote an article to summarize this part of the interview for
NBC Sports Bay Area & California.
I changed his name and a few minor details to maintain confidentiality.