Predicting the Future in Hindsight

In 1988, I was a graphic designer for National Printing Plate, in Indianapolis. They made printing plates for the flexographic industry. It was a good job, and I enjoyed the people I worked with. I married Paula in December 1988. Life was humming along.

Unfortunately, in January 1989, the business suffered a fire. Not only was I newly married, but I was newly unemployed. This motivated me to find work quick! I didn’t want my new father-in-law to think I couldn’t provide for his daughter.

I found work with a quick printer. It felt like a step back from a graphic designer in a large art department, but they were using computers in their design and it gave me a chance to learn this new program called Adobe Illustrator. I grew as a designer and a couple of years later, I began working for Macmillan Computer Publishing as a layout artist, and then a book designer.

Fast forward to almost thirty years later, and I am now a Graphics Manager for Lewisburg Container in Ohio. One of the reasons I received this opportunity was my experience at National Printing Plate and my knowledge of Adobe Illustrator. There was a lot of work in between, but that early experience I received right out of college was certainly crucial.

You may wonder where your career is going right now. You may want all the answers now and you may be the kind of person that wants to chart their future and have all the steps in place to reach their goals. That is all well and good, but the truth is, you can only predict the future in hindsight. You never know what your past experience will make possible today.

The future is moving faster than ever before. Technology and the economy give very few hints. Be faithful in what you are doing now and get comfortable with the waves of change. You will only know how today fits with tomorrow until you can look back and see how all the pieces work together.