As a twenty-something and new edition to this whole adult thing, I constantly ask myself this question.
Is the path I’m on truly the one I’m meant to be taking? There is a multitude of job titles and passion projects that swirl around in my head waiting to be completed and constantly making me second guess where I stand career-wise. This uncertainty creates an almost crippling anxiety in me, resulting in the reduction of my ability to take the necessary step toward accomplishing any of my career goals.
In learning to navigate this I’ve had several trusted people in my life provide a few pieces of advice for combating this feeling of uncertainty.
The first piece of advice is to write out a priority list of goals that I have, considering what I want to accomplish throughout the next 5-10 years or beyond.
The next is to pick one thing to focus on. Decide on the goal that is your top priority and focus on developing skills that will assist you in becoming the person who can obtain that goal.
Lastly, commit to doing just one thing every day that can get you closer to your dream career and life.
In committing to these 3 tips I’ve learned to ease my mind and gain a sense of clarity when it comes to my long-term career path.
What kind of life do you see yourself living?
That is one of the first questions I sat with. Am I interested in climbing the corporate ladder or do I want to live more simply, with lower stress and comfortable enough to just pay bills? Do I want to work for someone else or build a business? Is serious science really what I want to do or am I leaning towards more creative pursuits? These are the common career-related questions I ask myself after giving over 5 years of my life to studying biology and neuroscience but spending twice the amount of time loving the art of writing.
Asking these questions and writing a career priority list has helped me organize my thoughts related to career building and come to the conclusion that there could potentially be a way I can combine my interest in science and my interest in writing in building a business for myself making that the sole focus of my efforts career-wise.
One career goal can contain an innumerable amount of smaller steps that need to be achieved.
Knowing this, it’s clear why it would be best to focus on breaking down one top-priority goal into smaller steps that can be worked through over time. I have had competing goals of entrepreneurship vs promotion at my current job. In realizing the conflict in these desires I had to sit and think about what was most important to me in the long run. If building a business is the ultimate goal any extra energy outside of what is needed to maintain my job while working towards entrepreneurship should be focused on entrepreneurship.
From this, I’ve learned that your time and energy are your most powerful asset in the journey towards achieving your goal and should be allocated appropriately.
Having such big goals for yourself can be daunting.
Creating a practical plan for accomplishing a career goal can be a tremendous help when traversing a new space. It’s important to consider what small things can be done every day to get you to your destination. If writing a book was my top goal how many pages could I write a day to get me closer to that New York Times best-selling novel? If climbing the corporate ladder had ended up being my goal I would think about whether or not I could ensure that I was doing something daily to develop the skills that could get me the promotion. I could also think about frequent conversations I could initiate with my boss to better understand what I need to do to get to the next level. Back when I was originally looking for my current job I created a daily strategy for job searching and connecting with the right people who could potentially help me find a job.
In thinking about these things I can confirm that a small step every day can push you one step closer to succeeding at whatever goals you've set for yourself.
It is completely normal to reflect on your career and be unsure of where you are going.
Taking a moment to sit with yourself and figure out what you genuinely desire out of life is invaluable. It provides a sense of clarity, focus, and purpose on what otherwise would be a long, confusing, and hazy expedition.
It is crucial to remember that career building is truly a journey and there is no rush towards knowing exactly where you want to be. If exploration is your current goal then by all means explore and don’t forget to give yourself grace in the process. Also Always keep asking yourself these questions to help you stay on the path that most alligns with your true desires.
