At the outset of a given path, often the full measure of difficulties in that path will not be clear or obvious. An aspiring doctor may not know right away just how long the hours of study and work will be required for pursuing this path. An aspiring engineer may not realize initially the long hours required or the moral compromises that supervisors may demand. A graduate student may not initially realize just how long the hours demanded will be.
Jump From High School to College
I remember doing quite well academically in high school. I went to college, starting as a pre-med major. About one or two weeks into my college career, I recall thinking that I might be one of the first students to flunk out of the pre-med program. But as humans often do, I adapted, and finished my first year of college with a strong GPA (yes, even as a pre-med student – I did not flunk out, my fear of that did not materialize in reality). The initial shock was quite a rude awakening, though.
Medical Careers
A student pursuing a career in medicine may know vaguely that the road may be hard. But when faced with their first set of 24hour shifts working in the hospital, it may dawn on them that this may be more than they initially bargained for. Still want to be a medical doctor? Well, that student must adapt to the reality of what is necessary. As one of my former engineering supervisors once told me “you must be willing to pay the price to succeed.”
Engineering …
I recall once working for an engineering firm, naively thinking that I could get away with only working 40 hours per week. Within the first six months, the realization hit home that there would be weeks requiring more, sometimes much more, than a mere 40 hours.
… And Others
A young US Army helicopter pilot recounted, in a letter to Orson Scott Card, that basic flight school almost broke him. But he persevered, adapted to the higher-than-expected level of difficulty, and successfully graduated to become a helicopter pilot.
Sometimes life hits harder than we expect. But we have to learn to roll with the punches and adapt to the hardships of our chosen path. Again, the key is that we must learn to adapt. Biologists know that the species that adapts well to changing conditions and hardships, is the one that will likely survive.
A new soldier must adapt to a demanding waking schedule with little sleep. A doctor must adapt to the sight of blood, bodily fluids, and the ever present Grim Reaper knocking at a patient’s door. As a student, I have had to adapt to academic situations that were more difficult than I had been expecting. A police officer must adapt to not only danger, but downright gross stuff encountered on the beat. A lot of times, people won’t advertise the hardships of a given path that you will need to adapt to – you simply find out the hard way about these hardships, and you either accept it, adapt, and thrive; or you fail or quit.
Which is not to say I have always been perfect about adapting, because I have not. I have had failures in my life as a result of this and other mistakes. How can we adapt better to difficulties? For example, long hours, a demanding boss, a job that we don’t feel educated and qualified for – what to do? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading!