If you’ve ever said “I think I’ll go back to school” because you can’t figure out your next step, this article is for you.
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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten a call from a client in a career conundrum. He doesn’t know what kind of job he wants. He doesn’t know what he wants to do. He’s not sure what his passion is. He’s overwhelmed. Lost. So, he’s thinking of taking the path of least resistance. If you’ve ever uttered the phrase, “Maybe I’ll go back to school. Law school. Grad school, yeah…” you know what path I’m talking about.
If you aren’t sure what you want to do, taking a detour on the highway that is your career is tempting. But without forethought and intention, that detour can be costly, painful—or both.
If you’re still trying to figure out what your golden career path is, you can start by asking yourself these nine questions. In the meantime, here are five missteps to avoid.
1. Taking an Interim Job Doing Anything
Taking a job, any at a, may serve a short-term need; it’ll give you something to do all day and help you pay the bills.
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2. Going Back to Grad School
When clients call saying they don’t know what to do, and they’re thinking of going back to grad school, I get all up in their face about it. In a nice way, of course.
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3. Taking a Promotion in a Role You Don’t Love
Even if you don’t love the job you’re in, you might be good at it. So good, in fact, that your boss comes along and offers you a promotion.
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4. Staying Where You Are Because You Don’t Know What Else to Do
When you stay at length in a job because you don’t know what you want, it could play against your long-term career goals.
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5. Bailing Out
You took a job because you weren’t sure what else to do. Not surprisingly, you reach the point where you just can’t take it any more.
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Not knowing what you want to do with your life is daunting.
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Few people figure it out overnight. But wasting time with options that don’t help you make progress with identifying your career goals isn’t the way to go. You’ve got to be intentional about finding your career path.
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These 11 career quizzes can help, but you should also know that it’s OK if what you discover is that you don’t need a dream job to feel fulfilled.
Image: 123rf
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