Schrödinger’s Cat and Me.

Living in Superposition: My Career at 45 and Schrödinger’s Cat.

Some years ago, I made a private plan with myself. In my post Going in I only hinted.

Nothing dramatic. No resignation letter drafted in anger… Just a quiet marker in time: “By the time I turn 45, I should not still be in my current place of work.”… And a few other stuff.

Not because I despise where I work.
Not because the years there haven’t counted… Oh they have. Deeply.
I’ve grown, I’ve learned discipline, responsibility, endurance. I’ve worked with numbers, systems, people, pressure. I’ve shown up.

But for me, 45 represents something else… A point where staying should be a choice, not momentum.
Where growth should feel expansive, not repetitive.
Where I want to look at my life and say, yes… I listened when it was time to move.

And yet, if I’m honest, there is a real probability that I might still be there at 45. Hmmmm.

Life is not a straight line.
Plans meet reality. Responsibilities shift. Opportunities don’t always arrive as scheduled.

That tension… the one between intention and uncertainty is what made me think of Schrödinger’s cat.

A quick refresher; In quantum physics, Schrödinger’s cat is a thought experiment where a cat sealed in a box is considered both alive and dead at the same time, until the box is opened and the state is observed. Yes, I know… Absurd on the surface…. But profound underneath. Until observation happens, multiple realities coexist.

Right now, my future at 45 exists in a kind of career superposition… Until I actually get there (until the “box” is opened) I am simultaneously:

…still at my current place of work

…no longer at my current place of work
Both futures are real.
Both are possible.
Neither has collapsed into certainty.

Trust me, saying “there’s a probability I might still be there” isn’t a lack of ambition… Also, It’s not fear talking. It’s honesty.
I’ve lived long enough to know that growth doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it looks patient. Sometimes it looks like preparing quietly while still being present… where you are.

What is the “box” for me?
The box isn’t just age or time.
The box is:
…responsibilities I carry
…decisions I haven’t yet been forced to make
…doors I don’t yet know exist
…versions of myself that are still unfolding
…It’s experience. It’s context. It’s becoming.

As long as the box stays closed, my future remains fluid.


Every small thing I do now…
…learning beyond what my job demands
…stretching myself academically and mentally
…exploring ideas outside my current role
…imagining life beyond one identity
…trusting that I am allowed to evolve

All these are like quietly tipping the odds.

I don’t have to force certainty prematurely.
I don’t have to announce a departure before it’s time.
I just have to keep moving in alignment with who I am becoming.

What this teaches meis this… I don’t need to have everything figured out to be faithful to my future.
…I can appreciate the years that shaped me without chaining myself to them.
…I can hold gratitude and desire for more in the same hands.
…I can respect uncertainty without letting it paralyze me.

Until I’m 45, I exist in superposition.

And when the time comes, whether through choice, opportunity, or courage, the box will open.

Not because I rushed… Not because I panicked… But because I paid attention.
Superposition is a hyper state…
… Not so much confusion but more of wisdom.