How to Gain Perspective on Where Your Career is Heading - CareerAlley

How to Gain Perspective on Where Your Career is Heading - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. There are those moments in any career, whether youre just starting out or youve been at it for decades, where youre simply not sure where youre going next. Should you stay with your current employer or take that competing offer? Should you renew your contract or go freelance? Do you even want to stay in this industry, or could your side gig really take off if you put in two weeks and devoted yourself full-time to what was once just a hobby? This is the difference between a job and a career: Your next step is always obvious at a job, you show up, you do the work as well as you can, and over time, you earn raises and promotions. Its a straight line. A career is like a maze that stretches out forever in every direction. A career is full of twists and turns that make it more exciting, and more confusing, than a job. Its nearly impossible to get through an ever-shifting maze when youre right inside of it, but if you can take a step back and can look at it from afar, your next move may be much easier to decide. So, how do you gain that perspective? Here are some ideas. Take Your Vacation Time If youve got vacation time coming to you, nows the time to take it. While youre off the clock, you can choose to simply relax, to enjoy some breathing room and get your mind off the work for a little while so that you can figure out how it fits into your life, or you can spend some time looking at competing offers. You could also devote yourself to other interests in order to figure out whether your energy would be best spent somewhere else. The point is to take some time away from your current position and see how you feel without it. Get Some Outside Input Heres the thing about seeking an outside perspective: Youre not really trying to get their advice, youre seeking their help in figuring out what you think you should do, deep down. Career counsellors, therapists and even psychics can be a tremendous help in this area. You might scoff at the idea of a tarot reading to help you determine your next move in your career, but even if you dont believe in any sort of divine forces, the process of having a career psychic reading can help you to better organize your own thoughts and feelings. Think of it like watching a really good movie and coming away with a new perspective on something. Take a Real Shot If you have something youve been wanting to try but youve been sticking to your routine because youre afraid of failure, just take the shot already. You dont always need to quit your current position in order to pursue your passion. Take a weekend to make some contacts for your freelance business, see what your prospects look like in that field. Be willing to fail, but make sure you fail cheap, so that youre not put into a position where you can never try again. Determining your next move in your career is not a science. Sometimes theres no answer to the question of What should I do? sometimes you have to look at it from a more personal point of view. You have to consider what you want to do, and you have to make sure that thats really what you want and not just what you think is right. As long as your bills are paid, there are no wrong moves, but some moves are more right than others. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+