Navigating Your Career When It’s Time to Change Course

November 6^th is National “Marooned without a Compass Day,” which led me to thoughts of becoming lost in the woods and how to make it out alive and, relatively, unscathed. For many women, even those whose careers seemed previously to be on track, their careers have become a dense forest from which they cannot escape because they have lost (or maybe misplaced) their compasses.

The warning signs are numerous that your career is so tangled in brush that even a Bush Hog® would have trouble:

• • • Nighttime terrors when you awake thinking about work
    • Morning lethargy marked by leaden feet, lack of a coffee buzz, and layers of makeup masking the look of fear plastered on your face
    • A general lack of direction…not knowing where you’re headed and not certain you care

When it’s time to change the course of your career, you need a compass to help you navigate toward richer, greener pastures. Keep a clear head! There is help available to direct you.

Self-Assessment
List your career accomplishments thus far. What were your tasks or responsibilites? Did you win awards? Did you create a new program for the office? List your educational accomplishments. Did you earn a degree? In which classes did you excel? Now, try regrouping those accomplisments into related skill-sets. If your strengths seem to emerge in an area that is not traditionally your jurisdiction, maybe that should be your jurisdiction.

Explore your Talents
In what areas do people tell you that you excel? Think about the times when people have given you “attaboys” for doing something, such as commenting on your ability to problem solve or telling you how creative your latest social media campaign idea was. It can be hard to list one’s own talents, but do your best. Ask close advisors to tell you what they see as your greatests strengths and talents.

Uncover your Passions
If you received $1 million today, how would you spend it? If you answered, that you would help the poor or minister to the sick, chances are you have a passion for helping. Are you masking that passion in a cutthroat environment? When reading social media, what articles or comments elicit a visceral reaction?

Take a Personality Test
Are you a “thinker” or a “feeler”? If you are a feeler, choosing a career that suppresses your intuitive nature might make you glum. It’s possible that no one has asked you since at least high school, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ask yourself that question now. You might have taken an interest inventory test or a personality test in school, but do you have any idea anymore what the test predicted? One of the better-known personality tests, the Myers-Briggs test, is based on the personality archetypes espoused by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung that broke personalities into four main categories. Choose an online assessment from any of the numerous sites available.

Research Career Options
With so much available on the web today, you might forget that there are other resources available to help you chart a career course.

Professional associations are excellent organizations in which to start your search. They offer sources such as trade journals, events, trainings and educational offerings, conferences, and newsletters where a woman can learn what else is available in her industry.

Publications
Career books in the format of your choice will help you determine what’s out there, what knowledge you need, and what experiences benefit those jobs. College course catalogs from the local university can be a great tool as well. Don’t worry. You don’t have to go back to school. Colleges and Universities usually offer majors that are in demand, and the required courses for each major will illuminate the skills sets in demand in those fields. You might find that all those extra credits you took in art history are useful on a career path you never considered.

If you feel marooned without a compass, you have options. You can have your career back on track by January if you spend a little time for the next few months thinking, planning and executing.