One of the strategies I often recommend to clients is to check out the work of people whose careers they find interesting.
This could mean finding out more about people you’re following on socials.
It could involve typing some job titles into LinkedIn and seeing what comes up. Maybe making some new connections or arranging a few information interviews (coffee chats).
It could be as simple as checking out the biographies section of the bookshop and seeing what you are drawn to. (By the way I think taking note of the bookshop sections you are drawn to is a great career clue).
A lot of this research involves being online. So the thing to be wary of here is not being drawn into the internet vortex where three hours later you find yourself watching videos of celebrity plastic surgery mess-ups. And I am talking purely from experience here.
The other thing to be wary of, which is just as dangerous, is comparing yourself unfavourably with others.
If your research is making you feel a bit down in the dumps, here’s a few tips.
Set a timer
Not wanting to treat you like a child, but anything online needs a timer. We’ve all seen the documentary about how Zuckerberg and co suck us in and keep us there.
Have an objective and remember it
We’re all at different stages of our career change journey. If you’re exploring and seeing what sparks inspiration, then remember that as you’re doing your research.
If you have a more definite idea of career choice, then have in mind what you’re looking to gain from this research i.e. how they got into it, what qualifications they did, what groups they’re members of etc.
Being clear about what you’re seeking to find out should help you from getting sucked into the rabbit hole. And your timer is the fallback.
Comparison is the theft of joy
Theodore Roosevelt was right. So often, when we compare our lives with others it saps the happiness out of our own. But it doesn’t need to be this way.
First, you’ve got to remember this is about your career, not your whole life. As much as the two are intertwined, you are a person who is so much more than the job you do. You are a mother, wife, friend, daughter, community member … the list goes on.
Second, you cannot compare your chapter one with their chapter twelve. And my goodness I have to say this to myself a lot. For whatever reason, they have been doing this longer than you. So of course, they are going to have more expertise/influence/followers/money etc.
Instead of hating them for that and getting down on yourself, learn from them.
Accept
I think really it all boils down to acceptance.
Accepting where you are now and the choices you made, or didn’t make, that led you here. Making peace with that and moving on.
Good luck and happy googling.
Denny