Forks in the road
It’s important at key stages in any career to identify forks in the road. These are times when the paths open to you can take your career on vastly divergent routes that can affect your future in a multitude of ways. Key forks in any road usually occur in transitional periods and can be of your own making, or can be imposed on you, as is the case for many people currently. How you deal with change and make the most of these periods will be down to your own skill and dexterity. Career Evolution can equip you with the tools that will help you get the most out of the situation and steer you on the road to a successful career.
Look for opportunity
Rather than being daunted by transitional periods, see them as a time when your options open up to you. Use them as opportunities to assess your own happiness and wellbeing, and to picture what your ideal or dream job looks like. If you have been working in the same role for a lengthy period, you may be becoming frustrated by the job. This may be especially crucial if there is little room for advancement, or for your own personal development. For many people, their ideal role will be one that will give them the most gratification. It’s useful to think of periods when you felt as though your job was really making a difference, that made you proud of what you had achieved and genuinely enthusiastic in your work environment. These are aspects that you’d like to experience on a regular, day-to-day basis.
Make a change
But just because you have been working in a certain role, don’t be constrained by the parameters of that role. And don’t simply look at exact matches for your skills, with an identical ‘job title’ match to your existing one. Look at how transferable your skills are between sectors. This is your chance to assess what things matter most to you about your job. Do you waste time on a long commute and does it eat into both your own time and your own money? Are these factors to you in choosing a job, as well as the job itself? And would you be prepared to shoulder a reduction in salary to boost benefits to you in other ways?
These are questions you need to answer honestly when you are looking at your options at any career juncture. In such times of transition, it’s useful to consult with career experts and coaches, to receive strong and impartial advice on which path to take.
