Looking Back

In the April 24, 2023 issue of People magazine actor LeVar Burton reminisced about his career and his experiences in the entertainment industry.  The actor, best known for his role as Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, had guest hosted episodes of Jeopardy! and was a fan favorite to replace Alex Trebek, but he didn’t get his dream.

What was Burton’s response?  “Your failures are more important than your successes because you learn more from them.  Everything happens for a reason, and it’s all purposeful and perfect.  So, where’s the perfection in ‘I didn’t get what I wanted?’  I discovered that [it] wasn’t meant to be mine, but the process that I went through led me to exactly where I needed to be.”

Had Burton been the new host of Jeopardy! he might not have had the opportunity to re-unite with his fellow Star Trek co-stars for the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard.  His daughter, Mica, was cast to play Geordi’s daughter on the show and Burton would have missed out working with her. 

Reflecting back on his life, Burton says, “I’m ecstatic that things have worked out the way they have.”

This article left me reminiscing about my working career and how it led me to where I am today.  The early years of my career were in the non-profit sector followed by positions as a Claims Processor and Claims Adjudicator in Group Health and Dental Claims.  After that came several years as an Administrative Assistant and then…my dream job stared me right in the face.  A posting came up for a Human Resources Administrator at a local Call Centre and I wanted the job.  Having previously completed a Human Resources Advanced Certificate, this was the direction in which I wanted to go.

I got my dream job and it lasted…six months.  An extremely toxic work environment led me to take a leave and not long after I found a position as an Executive Assistant that included a $5K salary increase!  That position, located at the Loblaw warehouse west of Regina, led me to meet my significant other, Dave, and we have been together since July 1, 2011. 

When I lost my EA position due to the position being eliminated, I had a few months off before I applied for an Executive Co-ordinator position at Farm Credit Canada where I have been since February 2013.  I work with and for fantastic people and FCC is where I will finish out my career before I retire.

Like Burton, I didn’t get what I thought was my “dream job” but the process I went through over those years led me to Dave, a career at FCC, great colleagues and I think things worked out exactly as they were meant to.

What twists and turns do you see when you look back at your career?

Was there a time where you were glad something didn’t work out?

Do you feel that you are exactly where you are supposed to be?

Recommended Resources

-          Article on LeVar Burton by C.J. Marwitz – “Reinventing a career: LeVar Burton offers lessons in adaptability”: https://www.benefitspro.com/2022/05/25/reinventing-a-career-levar-burton-offers-lessons-in-adaptability/?slreturn=20230813110824

Monthly Challenge

Take a piece of paper, draw a timeline and chart out your career.     Reflect on the timeline and the changes, twists and turns your career took.  Was there anything that stood out to you about your journey?  Was it interesting to see how things worked out and how you got to where you are today?