Taking Back Your Career

It is easy with today’s economy and career environment to feel less than enthusiastic about your job or career path in general. People fall into jobs and after an amount of time in it feel obligated or stuck within it. Many people feel they have simply been dealt a losing hand in work. One of the first steps to energize and perk up your enthusiasm is to realize that you are responsible for your career. If you simply believe everything about your job and career is left up to someone else, you will wallow in frustration. You need to take charge and responsibility for your own career.

Once you realize you are more in control than you thought, it can empower you to make changes or adjustments where needed, and get on the path that will lead to a more satisfying career and daily work environment. All it takes is a little work each day for self-reflecting, researching, learning and planning. Look back over your career; see the strong points and the weak points; see the accomplishments and the failures, then focus on small steps to improve and work on your career path goal. Depending upon your current situation and desired goal, a radical shift and change is not needed, it may just be taking note of the little things that you have let take control rather than kept control of. And turn those things around to work for you.

It is about starting to make better choices once you identify the wrong choices you have made in the past. Live and learn they say – just make sure you practice that. Life is full of choices, and even as the song says, “if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” Are the choices you make each day productive or counterproductive to your long term career path? Remember, your career is not just about your present situation; it is about future goals and desired accomplishments, it is to take serious that typical question you always get asked in an interview – “where do you see yourself in five years.”

Having a game plan is important, but working on it is most important. Today’s work world can be very competitive, especially with unemployment as high as it is. You need to step up and keep up with your skills and advanced education. Sometimes it does require more radical changes, and often time just small changes over a period of time to steer the career ship in a better direction.

Take a look at what is needed, and what can be accomplish to get you there in your current situation, all the while keeping in mind as much of a work/life balance as you can. How do you spend your off time, and what could be trimmed to allow work on career change ideas?

People who know themselves well, who understand their own strengths, what they can contribute, what they have contributed and accomplished, and what they want to achieve, are usually easy to notice, since they tend to ooze the enthusiasm and confidence that most of us wish we had. Are you that sort of person? If not, get on the path to becoming one, and if you know one, spend time with them. As they say, misery loves company, so avoid misery and hook up with those who are enthusiastic and motivated to let it rub off in your life.