Unemployment gives the job seeker the opportunity to take the time to explore all career options. Do you continue with the traditional path and find a position similar to the one you just left or do you follow your secret passion. Guest Blogger Suzanne Delaney will help you explore alternate career paths over a series of articles written for NEJS.
By Suzanne Delaney, Career & Business Coach
When considering the age-old question “What should I do with my life?” it is most important to realize that ultimately the question is about your life – not just your career. So it is necessary to use existing, or develop new, life goals in order to answer this question. Determining what your life goals are is not easy. It requires true introspection and often intense conversations with your loved ones. Your ultimate objective in the process is to have a complete picture of what you want your life to look like in 3-5 years and what meaning you want your life to have had when you come to the end of its journey. Creating this picture is defining your dream.
Once you have defined your dream you can then explore what options have the potential to get you closer to that dream. Many people can get hung up at this point because of false perceptions and fear, so it is very important that you approach the process objectively. The best way to be able to do that is with the help of external parties. Friends who are not emotionally involved, a mentor, an associate, or a coach. All perceptions can change with additional information, so make sure you gather all of the information you can about each option, from as many sources as you can, constantly asking the question: will this help me achieve my goals? Once you are confident you have all the information it becomes easier to rule an option out or continue forward with it. When you have explored each one fully and are faced with two or three options to choose from you can again return to the goals you established to determine the best option.
» Read more: Career Assessment: What Should I Do With My Life?
