School of Purpose

#7: From Planning to Be a "Miserable Lawyer" to a Career that He Loves-Nick Copenhaver, an Honors University Senior

November 25, 2020

How important is it for college students to aim for a career that would give them a sense of purpose? What happens when they make plans without purpose?

Nick is a smart student who entered college with no sense of what he really wanted to do. So, he decided to do something that would make him a lot of money. If I can't be happy, I might as well be rich he thought. So, he decided to become a corporate lawyer. There was a problem, though, with this plan. Each year he got less happy with it. Something inside prodded him that there's more to life. Finally, in this, his senior year, he has made a complete reversal in his career path, and it's changed everything.

In this episode, you'll learn about:  

  • Following intuition in picking a career
  • The hazards of succeeding at something that's not meaningful to you
  • The powerful and potentially harmful effect of other people's expectations for us 
  • How to know if you're making purposeful plans for the future.
  • What it feels like to be finally doing something that feels right

Enjoy!


The School of Purpose is a place to discover the process of finding purpose in life. Visit us at schoolofpurpose.org.  Questions, comments, or suggestions about this podcast? Send me an email at schoolofpurposeorg@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you.

Edited and Produced by Josh Gilbert
joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com 
Music also by Josh Gilbert