In speaking to a group of underclassmen engineering students at the Ohio State University today, I was asked a question I didn’t expect from a student early in their college career.
“You’ve made some changes in your career path. When do you think it is too late to make a career change? When are you in too deep?”
It’s never too late to pursue something you’re stoked about. Everything up to this point is a sunk cost, and should not be considered in looking forward.
Of course, there may be other factors and implications for a new path, whether it’s financial, time, or otherwise. But, the fact remains that decisions up to this point are sunk costs and you should never consider yourself “in too deep” to make a change you’re excited to make. (Read more on the sunk cost fallacy)
You get one shot at this life, and you have no idea what length of time that is. If you’re walking down a path you’re not stoked about, you can change paths. You can even make your own path.
That doesn’t mean changing paths will be easy, and your odds of success may not be optimal immediately. Maybe you increase your odds by taking time to hone your skills or dedicating your nights and weekends to starting on the side. That’s a risk in itself because we don’t know how much time we have.
But to me, that’s better than the alternative.