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How to Be Your Own Career Expert

February 11, 2010 RSS Feed Print

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Curt Rosengren

Who do you think knows what’s best for you? Your parents? Your coworkers? The guy with the fancy car that lives two doors down? Or you?

[See the best careers for 2010.]

If you posed that question to most people, they wouldn’t hesitate to say “I do!” And I couldn’t agree more. Yet most people don’t actually make career decisions that reflect that belief. Don’t believe me? Then consider this. I’ve seen study after study showing that more than 50 percent of employees are dissatisfied with their jobs. Think about it. That means that every second person you see behind the wheel at rush hour is coming home from a job they’re unhappy with.

If people were really listening to what they know is best for them, do you think they would be making those career choices? The sad truth is that most people make their career decisions based on external factors. Parental expectations. Society’s definition of success. What “they” will think. Money. Status.

[See if having passion for your work matters.]

Are those things important? Some are, some aren’t. But none of them have anything to do with what will leave a person feeling energized and engaged. And because people are using an external compass to direct their careers, they typically wind up off course.

If you want to create a career that lights you up, you have to start by looking inside. Unlock your self-expertise. Take time to ask the important questions, such as:

What do I love doing, and why?
When am I at my best?
What feels right to me?
What inspires me?
What would I do if I got paid by how the work I do makes me feel?
What will I regret not pursuing when I look back at the end of my life?

[See 7 questions for every career changer.]

There are a million great self-exploration questions. But for them to do you the faintest lick of good, you have to ask them. And then you have to start putting the resulting insights to use. Even if a big career change isn’t in the cards in the near future, you can start looking for ways to use your self-expertise in the decisions you make. Find ways to bring more of what energizes you into your life. Look for opportunities to engage in the kinds of things that inspire you, if even on a small level.

You create your life – including your career – one choice at a time. The more you rely on your self-expertise to make those choices, the richer and more fulfilling your experience will be.

After years as a professional malcontent, Curt Rosengren discovered the power of passion. As a speaker, author, and coach, Rosengren helps people create careers that energize and inspire them. His book, 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work, and his E-book, The Occupational Adventure Guide, offer people tools for turning dreams into reality. Rosengren's blog, The M.A.P. Maker, explores how to craft a life of meaning, abundance, and passion.

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For years the military has utilized a battery of aptitude tests that actually do a fairly good job of discerning skill sets. Why aren't these tests available to taxpayers?

Peter of CA 8:49PM February 14, 2010

Shell, you're absolutely right. Having someone to help guide you through can have a significant impact (witnessing that impact is a big part of what I love about my own coaching practice). That said, not everyone is in a place where they are ready or able to engage a coach. So the more they can develop a habit of self-inquiry and learn to be their own coach, the better off they will be.
Bill, thanks for chiming in. You bring up an excellent question. I can't say that it sounds like you did anything wrong that led you down the path to a bad situation. It sounds like you just wound up on the receiving end of some less-than-preferable changes. And that, for better or worse, is all part of the game.
It would be nice to say that we can pick a path and we'll be on track for life, but often things don't seem to work that way. No path is guaranteed. I think one of the best skills people can develop is an ability to surf their changing reality.
In your situation, for example, that surfing might have looked like acknowledging earlier that the situation wasn't tolerable and resolving to make a change. Maybe it would have involved saying, "OK, why was this my dream job? What are the characteristics I had here that I want to carry forward? What else is out there that might allow me to experience that?"
As the saying goes, change is the only constant. Part of staying energized and inspired on our career paths involves recognizing those changes and surfing to adjust to them, aligning ourselves with new directions and opportunities.

Curt Rosengren of WA 1:54PM February 13, 2010

After spending more than 40 years in the work force, I have found that few people end up with the job they originally aimed for. I have found that changes in managers or unhappiness with your manager can affect your future. And these changes are beyond your control. With a degree in Journalism, I began my career as a newspaper reporter. Discovering that my top paycheck would be abouts $100 a week, I quit and joined a large advertising agency in Chicago. When we lost a client I was forced to find a job in the sales promotion department of a large manufacturing company. This was my dream job. But my boss quit and I was forced to work for a man that even Mother Theresa would not tolerate. By now I was over 40 and choices were definitely limited. I stuck it out for another 5 years but my original dream job had deteriorated into a "hate to go to work every morning." What did I do wrong?

Bill Johnson of CA 11:41PM February 11, 2010