Many adults decide their professions when they are at the end of adolescence, a time of deep discovery; however, many people also find themselves in very different places down the road and lacking fulfillment from their work. If you are someone who is looking for a career that fulfills and satisfies you, you are not alone. You don’t have to remain stuck in your same job forever, and instead, you can take charge of your professional life and pivot to something more satisfying with these tips.
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Assess Your Current Skills
Understanding how to get to where you want to be will require an assessment of where you currently are. If you are trying to transition to another career, you first need to take an inventory of your skills, knowledge and talents. This can help you identify what gaps you need to fill as you look to transition.
Evaluate Your Purpose and Passion
If you are looking to find work that is more fulfilling, understanding what motivates can be incredibly useful. As you look to develop a deeper connection to your work in this transition, evaluate your purpose, what you are passionate about and what has driven you to this next chapter of your life. If you can understand what motivates you, you use this to find truly meaningful work.
Ask Others
If you find that you are struggling to make a decision about what direction you would like to take your career, consider enlisting the help of others. Asking to hear other people’s stories can help provide context and influence your trajectory. Whether you ask to chat with a colleague, set up check-ins with a mentor or read about a student spotlight online, you can explore how others have gotten to the fulfilling path that they now find themselves on.
Do Your Research
As someone who now has some experience under their belt, you have additional resources, information and possibilities ahead of you. Use everything that is at your disposal to help you determine your next career move. Whether you research professions online, conduct an informal interview with your network or consult a mentor or career coach, you need to do your research to learn more about all the options in front of you.
Consider Your Options
When you are looking to make this pivot in your professional life, know that there are nuances in each career field. You can use this to dissect careers down to the most minute detail to find the right fit. Not every degree or profession leads to a definitive path and you have options within your desired field. Every profession has a prescribed path and offshoots, such as in the case of social workers and alternative social work careers. Know that you can find a job that encompasses many of your interests, passions, work styles and goals without having to settle.
Many professionals find themselves looking to make a change down the road. Not only is it possible that you want to find work that is more relevant to your current stage in life, but you may also have different goals, interests and passions than you did when you first chose your career path. It takes some time, research and reflection, but with this, you can find your right fit.
