Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hello all, I apologize for not posting yesterday, but my Internet connection was not cooperative. I am happy to report that my meeting concerning the job in Alabama went very well, but I struggled a little with the question: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I believe I answered it well in the moment, but truthfully the question took me by surprise.


I'm not sure why I was caught off guard. After all, it is a standard interview question. After I answered the question, however, I became internally distant. I snapped myself out of it to put on a good face, but inside I was shaken.


The truth is, I have honestly no idea where I want to be in five years. I'm not even sure where I want to be in a year or tomorrow for that matter. A year ago, I could have answered that question just fine (or at least competently bullshitted it), and would have continued on without batting an eye. In light of losing my father, however, I see everything differently. My world isn't the same place anymore, and I am not the same person.


I was left with an existential conundrum. Where do I see myself in five years? Why five years? The designation of five years is incredibly arbitrary. Why not ten years? Why not twenty years? Why not three years? Why not tomorrow? Do I really see myself - when I look ahead - or am I merely searching for shadows? Is it where I truly want to be in five years, or where like I feel like I should want to be in five years? Does anyone truly know where they want to be in five years? Circumstances change, plans change, should we be so rigid? Isn't it better to be fluid? Is it better to chase a dream or to discover dreams as you flow? Where do you see yourself in five years? Honestly, I still don't know.




On another bit of news, my parrot Joey came with me to Alabama. They knew about this prior to my arrival, and were prepared. What they weren't prepared for, however, was for his cage to break in my car before the second portion of my tour (it was several blocks away from the first part, and we took separate cars), and for me to complete the tour with a parrot on my shirt. Oh, I wish they had asked me that question during the second half of the tour.


Kelly: "Where do you see yourself in five years?"
Me: "Being able to afford a bird cage that doesn't break during an interview."


It would have placed me in much less of an existential quandary.
Let's hope I made a good impression!