In my last article, I wrote about that uncomfortable stage in your career when you know you want something different but have no idea what “different” actually looks like.
Once you've started thinking about what you want more, and less, of in your working life, the next temptation is to find the answer.
The perfect career.
And that's where many people get stuck again.
When a decision affects your income, identity, lifestyle and perhaps your family, making the wrong choice can feel expensive. So instead of choosing, you keep researching, thinking and waiting for certainty.
My suggestion is different:
Stop trying to choose. Start exploring.
Your experience gives you more options than you think
Start by looking beyond your job title.
Your experience is a collection of capabilities, not a contract requiring you to use them in exactly the same context forever.
Perhaps you're good at analysing complex information, building relationships, influencing senior people, managing projects, negotiating, solving problems or explaining complicated ideas simply.
Those capabilities may be valuable in roles and industries you've never considered.
Job titles also vary enormously between organisations, so searching only for roles similar to your current title can unnecessarily narrow your options.
Instead, ask yourself:
What am I good at?
Which of those things do I actually enjoy doing?
Where else could those capabilities be valuable?
Create possibilities, not one answer
Rather than trying to identify your one perfect career, choose three possible directions worth investigating.
Then gather evidence.
Read job descriptions, not necessarily to apply, but to understand what the work actually involves.
Look at companies that interest you and explore roles you may never have heard of.
Speak to people already doing the work. Ask them what a normal working day actually looks like.
Look at the skills employers want and compare them with what you already have.
You might even test a direction through a project, course, volunteering or consulting work before making a major commitment.
Career change doesn't always need to begin with a leap.
Sometimes it begins with an experiment.
You are not starting from zero
This is particularly important if you've already spent 10, 15 or 20 years building your career.
Changing direction doesn't mean throwing that experience away.
You take your judgement, skills, relationships, professional maturity, successes, and probably some very useful failures, with you.
The questions become:
What do I want to carry forward?
What do I want to leave behind?
What do I need to add to get where I want to go next?
That's a very different question from “What new career should I start from scratch?”
Career clarity rarely arrives as one brilliant revelation. More often, it develops through reflection, exploration and action.
And you don't need to do all of that alone.
If this resonates with where you are right now, feel free to reply to this email and ask me anything. I'm always happy to answer questions.
Or, if you'd prefer to talk it through, you can book a free 60-minute introductory session with me. We can explore where you are now, the possibilities you're considering and what might be keeping you stuck.
You don't need to know exactly where you're going before you start moving forward.
Warm regards,
Yana Gusakova
Life, Career & Financial Wellbeing Coach
www.yanagusakova.com
Create Your Own Website With Webador