Guest Luke Brown had a long-standing desire to become a professor. Though both English and physics seemed plausible at one point, he was pulled into the study of history through a classics course. His senior year of college, he thought he had it all figured out: he got engaged to his college girlfriend and he was applying to graduate school. He ended up getting married, but he also got rejected from every history graduate program to which he had applied. He got back on track a year later, but ultimately let go of the PhD he'd thought he'd been destined for.

In pulling away from the program and academic life completely, he found himself in an identity crisis. He landed jobs that were enjoyable, but in a different field and not quite what he had in mind for himself. Of course, when he reflects on things—especially his wife of more than 25 years and three children—he recognizes that life isn’t all about one’s career.

In this episode, find out from Luke how adjusting your expectations and giving yourself grace to find a new identity can take a bit of time …on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest

Luke Brown continues to hone an eclectic set of interests and currently lends his talents to help organizations use technology to operate more effectively. While he's continuing to figure out who he'll be when he grows up, he is working on putting his three kids on paths of their own. He lives with them and his wife in Minneapolis.

For another story about career expectations being mismatched with reality, listen to our episode with John Strayer.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Great Expectations: Luke Brown on taking time and giving yourself grace to find your way

Roads Taken