The Secret to Making Any Career Decision

Job related decisions are arguably the hardest decisions we have to make in life. The consequences to the wrong choices and the benefits the rights ones are far reaching. And this is precisely why they come with tremendous pressure.

People can spend weeks tossing and turning, writing out the pros and cons, and endlessly contemplating questions such as:

Should I work at this small agency with great people, or the larger one with better pay and name recognition?
Should I take the new position, or hold out for a promotion at my current job?
Should I stay in the city I love or move for a great career opportunity?

Unfortunately, in many situations, there’s no clear path, or even a best one. And while there can be some benefits to applying the traditional methods of analysis, there might be a more effective solution. The next time you are faced with a tough career decision, try asking yourself a simple question: Who do I want to be?

Who Do I Want To Be?

Picture how your identity will change as the result of your decision. Are you the type of person who works for a casual, laid-back company, or the type of person who makes more money and wears a suit every day? In a way, our decisions construct our identities, so use this strategy to help you figure out who you want to be.

If you aren’t sure who you want to be, begin by finding out what are you passionate about. Really concentrate on what inspires you. The more you know about what drives you to be happy and successful, the better decisions you will make about changing direction.

Asking yourself who you want to be isn’t easy. But in the long run, it’s the question that will get you closer to the right answer—and to the life that you really want to live.

If your interests and values are well-matched to your job you are likely to be happy and successful. But for many people, interests change over time, passions are discovered or rediscovered, and the old job may no longer seem such a good fit. If you are in this position, a good starting point is to set aside some time to describe the person you are now and your dreams for the future, and to clarify some goals.

This will generate emotional responses and lots of ideas, some comfortable, some not. Perhaps issues and feelings you thought were long gone or that you have not recognised before will rise to the surface, so proceed gently and at a pace that works best for you.

Knowing Your Values

There are two types of values that you will experience in your lifetime.

Core values: Are principles that you hold dear. Unlike passions, they rarely change. They determine your sense of self and help you know what is right for you in situations requiring moral judgement.

Variable values: The ones you mostly likely focus on when thinking about changing career direction, often change depending on where you are in life. For example, people starting out in the workforce can be driven by success and status, but as life moves on, balancing work with daily responsibilities may well become more important.

Defining your values acknowledges what is really important to you. There are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ values, just different ones. Finding an employer whose values match yours has a big impact on your work satisfaction.

Good questions to ask yourself as a way to uncover or define your values include:

When were you happiest and what was driving that happiness?

Think about your personal as well as your work experiences. You may have been happiest at work when a new product came onto the market and you believed the sales campaign aligned closely with your values. School days may have been gloriously happy because you loved learning stuff about mechanics or history.

When were you the most fulfilled and satisfied and what contributed to this experience?

By answering this as honestly as you can, you will uncover what gives your life meaning. Perhaps your satisfaction levels were highest when you managed a catering project involving new migrants, or perhaps they soared when you signed off on a sponsorship deal for your sports club.

Your answers will indicate a list of values. Try to choose your top five. These are the values that you will need to keep in mind when choosing your job.

Examples of values might include things like:

balancing family, work and social aspects of my life
helping others, either individually or in groups
learning from others
developing ideas, programs and products
determining my own work schedule and priorities
working in a team to achieve outcomes
managing others and directing their work activities
enjoying close personal relationships at work
competing with others to achieve results
sticking to a routine and being able to predict the structure of my working day
responding to frequent change
studying to enhance job knowledge and career prospects.

Setting Goals

Goals are different to passions and dreams. But, as we have seen above, passions and dreams are very important as they set you on the road to achieving goals. Ask any successful person about why they set goals and they will tell you that setting goals is the key to get the most out of life. Achieving goals means feeling good about yourself and your role in your family and community.

As you have probably done before, you can set goals about practically anything:

further education and training
employment
leisure pursuits and interests
health, fitness and personal wellbeing
family life and relationships

Goals change over time as you:

find out more about your likes and dislikes
find out more about your talents and interests
gain more experience
read, talk about and research your future.

To consider changing careers you need to set some goals. Some ways to approach this are:

Spend some time thinking about your passions and decide what are the underpinning themes. Try and match these with current job opportunities
Talk to others who are already doing these jobs. If you can’t find people to talk to face-to-face, talk to people online or browse job information and career websites
Find out what education is required. If you need to develop new skills, find out about courses. Talk to a career counsellor or browse websites as there may be funds or scholarships to help with the fees

Keep in mind that the same job can be done within several industries. Mechanical engineers, for example, can work in design companies, factories, universities or in laboratories, down mineshafts, or as overseas volunteers, as well as many other places. Likewise, chefs can work in hospital kitchens, cafes or five-star restaurants, for film crews or the army, on cruise ships, or as trainers. Workplaces influence how you experience a particular occupation.

When you have a clearer idea of a future direction, write down the steps you need to take to achieve it. This document is your goal statement.

Last but not least, don’t be afraid to change your goals. You change and so do they. You will want to review your goals from time to time and revise them as your experience grows and your interests develop. Goals you set today are only a record of what you want to achieve now.

Need help with deciding on your career or just need some friendly advice? Contact the career counsellors at MCIE, today.