I was a homemaker for a lot of years. I dropped out of college to follow my husband's military career. I spent years looking at available opportunities to further my education at every new duty station and finding them largely lacking.

I eventually completed an AA in Humanities to lock in my old credits so I wouldn't have to start over completely. I then began pursuing a bachelor's that supported my goal of becoming an urban planner. I also completed a Certificate in GIS, the equivalent of Master's level work.

Then I began applying to jobs and internship programs. My resume had a high call back rate, but I wasn't ever offered a job in my field. I ultimately got a job at an insurance company.

I don't know why I never managed to get an urban planning or GIS job. Maybe lack of interview skills. Maybe lack of job hunting skills. Maybe the many years I spent as a homemaker made my resume not adequately impressive.

But then I had a job in something else and I was busy trying to make my life work during a divorce accompanied by health drama. One day led to another and with each passing day I had more experience in insurance and it was another day further away from when I got my Certificate in GIS.

And now a lot of years have passed. I did apply for a job in my field recently and I did get past the initial stage, though I did not get the job. And maybe I should just keep looking for jobs in my field, though it has been a lot of years. But there tend to be few such jobs in any given geographic area, they typically require a driver's license and I no longer drive.

I was one of the top students of my graduating high school class. I've done a lot of therapy and introspection. I tend to understand myself and my life better than average. Yet, I don't have some clear cut explanation for why I failed to get my dream job. I usually describe it as "I wanted to be an urban planner before life got in the way."

So, as I read this article that frames itself as knowing the psychological underpinnings for different outcomes and frames it as based primarily on choice, I find myself skeptical. That seems a little too convenient. I don't think most lives are quite so clear cut.