What career SHOULD you be doing?

"How did you get to where you are?"
This is a question I would love to ask every person I come into contact with.  How did they arrive at their current job/career/lifestyle?  It's fascinating how so many small decisions lead us to where we are going!

I'm an architect (lawfully that isn't true but since computer programmers are allowed to call themselves architects despite not completing their 5,600 hours of internship and 7 registration exams, I'm going with it because it'll be easier to imagine what I do if I don't call myself an "architectural intern" or an "architectural designer" or just a "designer" - end rant).

I was terrified before college about what I wanted to do.  I took a trip to NYC with my mom to take the Johnson O'Connor Aptitude Test.  In many ways, it wouldn't be far off to state that because of that test, I am what I am today.  You can take this in a few ways:

1) A test told me what to do, and I listened.

2) My body/brain told me what to do on the tests, the tests verbalized what my body/brain were saying I wanted to do.

3)  Science is ridiculous.

I like to think #2 is closest to correct...although the test didn't say "be an architect, that is all" like the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz or anything.  It gave me options.  It said, you score REALLY high in your skills and abilities with spatiality and language, and actually quite a few other areas.  This, perhaps is why I was such a confused kid when it came to picking an area of study - or maybe it was just being 17 and thinking you have to decide on the rest of your life like...yesterday.  (If you're that age right now, I promise you, you didn't have to decide yesterday, and the future you will most likely still be wondering what you want to do quite a number of years from now, so don't fret, you'll find your way)!  So, I think my top two career paths suggested were law and architecture.  You might not think they're all that related but I've actually met quite a few people who have gone from one to the other, leading me to believe there must be some sort of innate connection between the two.

Anyways...I studied architecture, and I was passionate about language and health and social problems so I got an extra masters, played sports, and was socially active on the side.  I've come and gone from architecture, and I'm back again.  I still think I have a great desire to make a (positive) difference in the world, through architecture or not, and so it comes as no surprise to me through this recent BuzzFeed survey that it tells me that I should be a Humanitarian.

So now I'll ask you the question(s) I always long to ask friends and complete strangers: 

How did you get where you are?  Were there any major events or decisions that helped you?  If you take the survey/quiz, what does it tell you?  Do you find that it is relevant in your life and passions? If it resonates but it's not what you're doing now, I leave you with this inspiration:

Chime in by commenting below!