Many people think that once they have had one or two jobs in a particular field, that they are locked into it for the rest of their careers. If youre not happy with the field you are working in now, that can be quite a discouraging thought considering that you could remain in the job force for as long as 40 years! Never lose hope! You can make a change to find work you enjoy at a fair salary, it just takes a little planning. First, you need to try to identify what kind of work would interest you. Heres one way to start to identify the areas to explore. First: Take an honest assessment of what you enjoy doing. Grab a pen and paper to make a list of the hobbies and activities that bring you the most joy. Are there particular areas that you have an interest ini.e. history, current events, or the arts? Think of examples of your successes in past jobs, classes or volunteer organizations. What activities or tasks did you enjoy? Did you like working with people in a customer service type of role? Did you enjoy being the point person on a large project? Are there any specific tasks you do especially well? What has brought you the most pride? Do you enjoy, or would you like to try managing others? Second: Take another brainstorming session to identify those situations where you have struggled the most. Everyone has had jobs where they were forced to try new skills, and in some instances havent felt completely comfortable, or excelled at those tasks. But be realistic about those situations. In some instances, would you handle it differently the second time around, or were many of your problems rooted in circumstances or company politics which you could not control? Dont rule out an opportunity if you feel that you have learned from it and would handle it differently the second time around. Also dont be afraid to take a chance and work to master your weaker areasthey could end up becoming your strongest. There will also be those tasks or skills that you are not naturally inclined to doand thats OKrecognize that fact and move on to a position that suites you better. Third: Gather this information and assess what its telling you in terms of your strengths and weaknesses. Take a fresh look at your talentsyou might be surprised by a few of them. You might realize that one of the first things that came to mind was your enjoyment of the arts. Why dont you begin to investigate a career in the arts? Do you have a head for numbers or managing money? Why not think about becoming a financial planner or even start your own business of helping older individuals manage their budgets? The goal of this exercise is to help you take an objective view of yourself and realize that you have many more gifts to offer the workforce than feeling limited by your current career path. Realizing some of these opportunities could take some form of additional schooling, volunteer work, or talking to people who are currently in the field. Next week, more detail about the process of investigating and realizing your new future, and how to weave these talents into your resume. Red Inc. Melanie Szlucha |
