Idols are a key source of enthusiasm, says Anthea Lacchia, not people you should try to emulate.

Contributor Anthea Lacchia

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When it comes to choosing a career, the options can feel infinite and yet non-existing, as though we are navigating through a dense forest, with endless paths stretching out in front of us.

As we scramble through the thick undergrowth, armed with hope and guided by experience and intuition, we ask ourselves: which path is the right one for me? How can I get to that coveted position? How did that person make it? Why can’t I be like them?

It can be tempting to emulate the career choices of our idols: after all, the decisions they made led them to where they are now. So following in their footsteps could be the way out of this forest.

So we trawl through online bios and CVs to see what it is that got them to their current role, increasingly feeling inadequate and underprepared for the careers we hope to follow. Continue reading →