The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

some point, though, something unexpected appears and
changes everything. And often that something is a someone.
The teacher appears when you least expect.
For Ginny, a few people served as guides in her journey.
First there was the aunt who encouraged her to keep her
son and gave her a place to stay. Then there was Amy, the
friend who told Ginny she’d be a good doula, convincing
her to undergo the training. Finally there was the producer
who filmed a documentary on unwed mothers in Singapore
and became Ginny’s roommate. As Ginny’s business grew,
her roommate helped her by watching the baby and taking
care of administrative responsibilities, such as building her
first website. Without the support of these people, Ginny
admitted, “I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Each person had a different role to play and helped in a
unique way, appearing at just the right time when she
needed it. This model looks vastly different from the
Renaissance version of apprenticeship but accomplishes the
same result. An accidental apprenticeship begins with
listening to your life and paying attention to the ways in
which you’re already being prepared for your life’s work.
Ginny’s success wasn’t in that she planned any of this out; it
was that when the opportunities came, she acknowledged
them and took action.
This was how Steve Jobs, the cofounder of Apple
Computer, got his start. His own education was almost
entirely informal, beginning with a short stint at Reed
College, where the classes were so expensive he decided to