When I was researching about career paths many years ago, I made the same flawed assumption that many people still make today: I was really researching “available jobs” and not a “career path.”
My confusing a career path with job openings made for inefficient professional development. I put on mental blinders during the exploratory stage when I should be brainstorming instead. As a result, I went from job to job (and mistakenly calling each one “a career”) over the years and wondered why I still didn’t feel like I was where I needed to be.
I didn’t feel like I was where I needed to be because I didn’t know where I wanted to be. I used each job as the litmus test to see if “this was IT” and I would finally settle down into the career that would satisfy me. This approach can work, if many elements of that job happens to satisfy that craving for purpose within you. For example, some people are geniuses at coordinating resources and people and time. They derive a deep sense of purpose and satisfaction when coordinating. When they work in a job that demands this skill most of the time, they work in joy. Jobs are created by people who need certain skills. Most of the “career assessment” tests try to match as many of your interests as possible to a catalog of available jobs requiring certain skills. [click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }
