The Best Career Advice I Ever Took Was From an Eight Year Old Boy

Officer Victor Scott was an imposing figure and a great representative for police everywhere. Growing up, he was the officer assigned to my semi-quiet inner-city Atlanta neighborhood. Later in life, I learned Officer Scott worked as a detective investigating homicides. I also discovered he was a contestant on the 90's TV show American Gladiators. Yeah, the one where a guy named "Sabre" dressed in a leotard would shoot tennis balls in your direction at 150 feet per second. Honestly, Victor Scott was a legend in my book. He was also one of the warmest and most genuine people I ever had an opportunity to meet.

Officer Scott made it a habit to stop whenever he saw me in the neighborhood. I was a not-so imposing blonde-haired eight-year-old boy. He would park his police car, get out, ask about my family, and cut up with me every time. The first time I would activate lights and sirens was in his white Atlanta Police car. For those who know, these were the Ford's with the red stripe on the doors, a white flower logo, and bubble lights on top.

As a kid, I held the police in high regard primarily because of Officer Scott. I dressed up as a police officer on countless Halloweens, and I can proudly say, no kid stole my friend's candy. Whenever I was asked that question which kids get asked all the time, what do you want to be when you grow up? I would push out my chest and proudly proclaim, "A Police Officer." Nothing was going to stop that eight-year-old.

Time passed, and I went to middle school and eventually high school. I no longer had that intense dream of being a police officer. I just hoped the ones that broke up the high school party I was at didn't see my friends and me in the bushes. Let's say priorities shifted a little as I got older.

High school's end approached, and I began examining my after-graduation options. School guidance counselors advised me on what colleges would accept me and what areas I needed to settle. I made my decision a couple of years after high school ended. I was going to college for business. My mother was a compelling business person, and I always respected her success. I'll try that, I thought.

I made it to the start of my third year in a business marketing undergrad program. I had a hard time focusing in class, constantly felt like a failure, and entered into a year-long depression. I would always ask myself, why can't I grasp this stuff?! For me, at that time, Statistics 301 might as well have been Advanced Level Astrophysics.

At a dark point in my depression, I had one of the most apparent thoughts I have ever encountered. I looked into a mirror and said that thought out loud. It felt silly at first, but as it came out, it felt so right. What a moment ago was a shallow point instantly transformed into a moment of pure glee. Here's what I said into that mirror: "Scott, what did you want to be when you were eight?" I then pushed my chest out, and with a smirk of relief, I said, "A police officer."

I took the advice of that eight-year-old boy. I went out the next couple of months and became a police officer. I loved it! It was not easy, but it was rewarding, and I was damn good at it. I lucked out, too. I found a department that would support me as I finished my undergraduate degree. This time, I majored in Criminal Justice, and it was where I needed to be. It made me a better police officer and a better student. Until then, I didn't think that second statement was possible.

Moving on....

Ten years and five rank promotions later, I wanted to take on business again, but this time, I was going to do it on my terms. Transferring into corporate security was that perfect fit. Now, to those who ask me the question so, how did you get into this line of work? I smile, and in my proudest voice, I respond, "I took the advice of an eight-year-old boy."

I love my career, and more than that, I love my career path. 

Sometimes, the answer is challenging to find, and it takes time to reveal itself. Other times, it's straightforward and may have been with you the whole time.

Don't be afraid to ask your eight-year-old self what would make you happy, and then do it! A career is excellent, but happiness in what you do is nothing short of incredible.