The Five Year Plan

Most people come up with some long term goals before a job interview.  We're prepared to say where we see ourselves in one year, five, maybe even ten or fifteen, but that's all bullshit.  Clearly, the goal is to land the job, so we'll really say whatever it takes in order to make that happen. 

On more than one occasion I've had a friend, or even worse, a date ask me the dreaded question "Well, where do you see yourself in five years?"  My standard answer is, "I don't know what I'll be doing, but I hope I'll have a dog by then."  (This clearly is not my job interview answer.)  So I can't nail down where I'll be living, working, learning, etc., but I've got my eye on a fur ball.  Well, that sounds a little pathetic - no real goals.

Let's go ahead and distinguish between goals and a plan.  Goals can be lofty, easily set aside in "not gonna happen," "save that for next week," and "let's make that next year" categories.  A plan though - a plan - is something you stick to.  I make plans for what I'll eat for dinner or a plan for how quickly I have to walk to work in order to have a coffee pit stop.  Those plans will get carried through. 

A five year plan is threatening for us quarter-lifers.  It seems almost inevitable for you to muck it up somehow.  Five years - that's a fifth of our life!  How can we possibly plan for such a large chunk of time? What is this an interrogation?  Why don't you go ahead and ask me for the plan for everyday for the rest of my life? 

Is this what immaturity is?  Resisting planning anything except for fun puppy time?  So it seems.