Back in the old days, even if you didn't end up in the same field that your father was in, generally speaking, you picked a lane young and that's where you spent your entire life.
If you were lucky enough to get an apprenticeship, you could enjoy a fruitful career in the trades. If you were even luckier and could get an education, the professions would be where you'd end up, perhaps law, the church, or administration. Other people could still be reasonably fortunate as they got steady work in factories, which after the labor movement got its mitts on them, became decent-paying, fairly safe jobs that sustained families (which they certainly were not in the 1800s when they first came about). You got a job at 18 or 22, and that put you on a path for the next 40-45 years.
Those times are gone. These days, everyone can expect to change jobs multiple times in their lives. Ongoing education is an absolute necessity, and flexibility and adaptation are everything. Some people even enjoy what is called a portfolio career, where they have a toe in multiple roles. Of course, it's a lot easier to sustain this if you find an industry where you can switch jobs and bring your skills and experience along with you, without having to become a domain expert again and again. That means a field that suits your interests, and most of all, your approach to work. Let's see which one might be right for you.
