Talking to Our Parents About Their Careers and Ours

A little over a year ago, Tess Vigeland left her job as the host of Marketplace Money (see here). She’s currently working on a book about “career choices, ambition, the pressure to have a linear, upward trajectory in your work life,” and has been traveling around the country interviewing people about their career paths, including her own parents. Vigeland wrote a post yesterday detailing the conversation she had with her mother, a former teacher, and her father, an orthopedic surgeon who is still practicing medicine.

A little bit later I was asking if he’d ever considered leaving medicine for something else, if there was ever anything he wanted to do outside of being a doctor.

“Nothing.”

“Really?”

“Nope.”

“So you ended up totally in the right place.”

“Absolutely in the right place.”

We moved on again, with me asking both of them questions about my own ambition and motivations. If you’re an adult who’s lucky enough to still have your parents around, and you can find the time, sit down and ask them some day about how THEY think you became who you are, and how they interpret your successes, failures, and decisions. It’s nothing short of fascinating, and the answers are probably nothing like you think they will be.

Vigeland contemplates her father’s words — that he found a job he loved enough to stick with it so long, even into his 70s. Did she make a mistake leaving what she describes as “The Best Job I Will Ever Have”? Will she be able to respond the way her father did during her interview with him toward the twilight of her career? It’s easy to dwell on these questions, and even a mistake at this point in time. But as far as I can tell, Tess Vigeland is a super talented individual who I have no doubt will go on to do more terrific work.

Photo: Mark Walz

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