I want to be a Wizard when I grow up: Balancing Intuition and Reason

My gut feeling tells me to change my major.

My gut feeling tells me to change my major.

Since the original iPhone launch, I have fallen in love with what tech can do. Ever since then, I have had the internal desire to create cool stuff. My first outlet was creating and editing video content, but I was told only a lucky few actually make a good living off it. Now I am currently learning how to code and I love it, hoping that I can use a career making web apps supplement my desire to create videos again. I love being able to solve problems and then program those solutions into computers. So a degree in information systems management seems like a good use of my pell grants.

After a semester of being introduced to the info systems field, I was disappointed. All guest speakers talked about was how much money you could make, and how you had to suck up to your boss and customers if you wanted get to where you want to be and make a ton a money.

Also, the professionals I met in the management field where not actually passionate in their careers, the ones that actually seemed happy where the ones making and designing solutions. Essentially the R&D department of a businesses.

Something didn’t feel right, and as I made a hobby of doing programming and site design on the side, I became more and more discontent with how college was going to go for me. School became a chore again, and I prioritized practicing my desired craft over studying for mid terms. I wished that I could just make cool videos and write enthralling web applications. I didn’t like the idea of management, and based off my experience managing my parents furniture store I had a strong impression that I didn’t want to being doing organizational stuff for the rest of my life. I wanted so badly to be a creator and I didn’t know what direction I needed to go. I didn’t know what I had to major in to fulfill this desire to learn how to use all the creative tools that make cool products. It seemed like I needed to just quit college and go out on my own.

Then Microsoft presented the Windows 10 creators update,

I just witnessed Microsoft out-innovate Apple for the first time. In this event, Microsoft showcased the tools that made it possible to make anything that was in your head a reality.

This is where the world is going! I saw endless possibilities with what you could do if you know how to leverage this tech! Think of the business applications, the entertainment applications, the personal creative outlets these tools could make, and for the first time in my life, I could point at something and say “I want to work on that!”

So I started doing research on what I needed to do to work on hololens, VR and add value through the use of these tools. The job title that came up for me — which I wouldn’t have known existed without being curious on the subject, was UX (user experience) design. This job actually didn’t require a degree to get in the career, just a good portfolio. But if they taught it in school, they would have the resources I can use to learn the skills.

I didn’t know if they offered a UX degree at my school, so I looked at catalog for programs and sure enough, my dream major was at the bottom of the list!

Web Development: User Experience Design Emphasis.

I immediately made arrangements to change my Major, for the fourth and last time.

A lesson on self awareness.

Let me get philosophical for a second:

I think, therefore I am. — René Descartes

Lets add to that. I desire, and I value, and that is what I think about.

Every person has root desires and values. These are what your gut consists of. The gut will conflict with any logical, well -reasoned, decision every time as long as it isn’t aligned with your values. If your gut tells you not to be a info system processional, you probably shouldn’t do it. Getting into a high paying profession makes sense survival wise, but if you have to sell you soul for a fat salary, you will never be happy.

I have never been more excited to go all in on this profession, and that is because it aligns with my values. Many people think that you have to carefully reason big decisions, have a five year plan and stick to it — but at the end of all reasoning your gut needs to be that check and balance. Most times trusting your gut is better then coming up with reasons to not do something.

The reason I didn’t like my info systems classes was because it didn’t align with my gut.

I had plenty of good reasons to marry my wife, but I wouldn’t have done it if it didn’t feel like a good decision. If her values didn’t align with my values, I wouldn't have done it. I had plenty of good reasons to get into business information systems, but their values didn’t align with mine, so I left.

The tough part of pivoting all the time is not allowing the stigma of being labeled “indecisive” from critics stop you from actually being decisive. For me it is easy to change my major when a feel a gut feeling, because sometimes I think that I have highly functioning Asperger syndrome (this is based off the observation of a few friends in my life) and I really am insensitive to offending or upsetting established facts.

This skill, the ability to go contrary to assumptions, can be developed however with this exercise: follow your gut.

If your gut tells you to go the opposite direction, you do it, no matter how unreasonable your life plans, boss, friends, family make it out to be.

Just do what you want, let reason supplement your gut reaction, not dictate it. Reason is a tool to refine what feels like a good idea.

Gut^Reason=Getting What You Need.

So essentially when I grow up I want to be a wizard.

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