What do I want in my career?
What do you want in a career? I work with clients who are just entering the job market while others are transitioning to higher levels of responsibility. Some clients truly want out of where they are (i.e., location, organization, type of work) and to seek a new place or career path. All of these steps take courage and commitment.
Are you trying to decide whether to stay in your current job or go? Is the pain you are feeling greater than the fear of leaving? What would happen if you left? What would changing jobs do for you in the quality of your life and work? How can you go about making a change?
I work with several clients who are pondering all of these questions. Each of them answers them differently. Some have been extremely brave leaving the past job before there’s something to land on or into. Others have completed another step in their education and are seeking that new job, one that is quite different than what they did before. And, even more still occupy the job they hate and are trying to overcome the fear of the unknown.
Some clients seek that next move to a higher level. They have honed skills making them successful in their current positions and they are ready for that next step. Their pain comes more from feeling stale and knowing they have more to contribute. And sometimes, they have landed in that new, higher level with a sense of uncertainty about how to accomplish a new level of responsibility.
Honestly, changing jobs takes time and work. When we look for a job the way we did it “a long time ago” when we were younger, there was less at risk – or so it seemed. Early in my work with clients some will say, “I don’t have time to look for jobs. I work 10-11 hours per day, and on weekends. I don’t want to do this anymore – my life and relationships are suffering.” And, they are also suffering. I will often ask “How much time per week can you commit to putting into your job search?” What I have seen is that those who commit to setting aside the time make the greatest steps towards change. Also, it is key to clarify what they want in that new job. We spend time focusing on the “have to haves” embedded in the “want to haves” that can cloud the path ahead.
Change only occurs with commitment and investment to make it happen. My clients are courageous individuals who work hard to make those transitions. They also have a clearer idea of what they want and why. What do you want?
