When I was early in my career, working at a PR firm I hated, with people I disliked, I hopped on the first gig I could find to change where I was and what I was learning. It was an entry-level IT job, which was totally nonsensical given my background. 1/X

I had a meeting with my VP at the time, and explained what I was doing and where I was headed. She told me, and I will never forget these words, "You are too naive in your career to make this decision." And that really pissed me off. So I became determined to making it work. 2/X

It probably did considerable damage to my career at first. I watched my peers become Senior AMs and even Directors, or move to in-house gigs where they generally kicked ass. And I couldn't help but be jealous and wallow in my failure. 3/X

Those words really stuck with me, and I became determined to find a way to blend my IT experience with what I had studied in college, and find a way to write and create again at some level. And it finally happened when I made a big career change by moving to a startup. 4/X

After about 3 years of working in IT, making good connections with people, treating people like human beings and generally trying to be a good person, I finally got an opportunity to totally switch lanes and hop into the content marketing world. 5/X

As I look back now, I realize my gut feeling at the time—when I was a young nobody at a PR firm working for clients that don't even exist anymore (is Second Life still a thing?)—was right. I was unhappy, unfulfilled, and realizing I was determined to do more. 6/X

I spoke with a colleague today who laughed as I was describing social strategy and how my company should be making content, and he said, "I can't believe you used to be the IT guy at OpenDNS." 7/X

My point with all this is, don't be too concerned with finding the most direct route. Be open to change, and adapt. But keep your principles strong, and focus goals you're looking to accomplish in the long-term. You'll be a lot more accepting of the winding road. 8/X

And don't worry what some "senior" person wants to tell you about where you should be headed or what you should be doing. It's your career, not theirs.

What's your journey? How'd you get here? I'd love to hear about your path. /End