5 ways to find a career

Clients often come to me and say: I know I want a different career but I don’t know what I want to do. And if I don’t know what I want, how can I make it happen?

I totally get it: you want to change and you’re motivated to change and if you knew what you wanted to do you could work out how to do it but in actual fact you have no idea what you want and that’s why you’re sitting here. Frustrated.

Here are some ideas to get you started on determining a new career direction.

+ Forget Passion

There is a whole lot of noise out there suggesting that everyone has a passion [they just have to discover it] and that pursuing it single-mindedly will make you wildly happy and fulfilled.

I believe the concept of passion is overrated; very few people have a single interest that is all-consuming. But most of us do have lots of stuff that engages us and contributes to our sense of wellbeing, we just don’t see those activities as career possibilities.

Instead of trying desperately to identify Your Passion, take a focused look at your regular week and see how you fill your spare time: you love tinkering on your bike or reading novels or scrolling makeup sites or cooking beautiful meals or playing with your nephews or just sitting drinking coffee and talking to friends about life. 

Write those ideas down [making sure to avoid the yehbuts: yehbut how could I translate that into a career?!] Then take your list and consider themes: what is it about the activities you identified that connects with you and energises you and makes you feel like you? And how could those aspects be translated into paid work?

+ Free Write

Find yourself somewhere to sit that makes you feel happy [a cafe, your bed, the sofa..]

Then take a blank piece piece of paper and just start writing about your Ideal Life. Try not to censor yourself: just write whatever comes out. Consider everything: where you would live, who you would hang out with, what you would wear, what you would eat, how you would spend your days, how you would feel. Everything! Just write.

Set the writing aside for a few days then return to it, when you’re feeling positive and refreshed. Read what you wrote. Again, notice any themes, anything that stands out. Consider the difference between where you are now and where you would rather be.

Make a list of a whole lot of things you could do, this week, to start bridging the gap between your real existence and your Ideal Life. Start doing those things.

+ Get Input

When you’re thinking about possible career directions, you can get stuck considering the same, uninspiring ideas. Asking others is a useful way to fuel more creative thinking.

Start by crafting an email – all about you. Include information on your strengths, interests, talents and skills,  include notes on causes that really matter to you and make sure to mention any non-negotiables like: I can’t sit at a computer all day! I need to be creative! Do not include any details about your education, training or past employment history.

Then choose at least five people to send the email to. Choose people who don’t know you too well and who reflect a range of ages, life experiences, careers. Ask those people to offer you specific ideas for careers that would seem like a good fit, based on what you’ve written.

You might not be interested in any of the particular jobs your acquaintances suggest but try to look deeper – what do they see in you? And how could you translate their ideas into paid work that you would love?

+ Notice your Thoughts

One of the big obstacles that tends to get in the way of identifying and pursuing a new career is mind-set.

Gremlin thoughts run through your brain telling you that you’re not good/smart/talented/likeable/funny/etc enough and why would you even think you could do something different and amazing and blahblahblah. They’re designed to protect you but those ideas only really serve to keep you contained and unfulfilled.

It can be helpful to get clear on your thoughts in order to disentangle yourself from them.

Make a list of the common negative messages that you repeat in your head. And each time you catch yourself saying them, try to preface the message with: I am having the thought that.

• Brain says: you aren’t good enough to apply
• You re-frame to say: I am having the thought that I am not good enough to apply

This simple shift, practiced regularly, will separate you from your thoughts and extricate you from their influence.

+ Speak to People

There are so many people in the world who are living incredibly interesting lives and doing super inspiring work. Lots of those people are warm and generous and more than happy to help others shine too. Find those brilliant people and talk to them! Ask them about their path, the resources they drew on, advice they would give, ideas for anyone else to speak to.

Soak up their ideas and their enthusiasm and their energy and their sparkle! Take notes! Then remember: follow up with a written thank you.