| bottom-link"> | | | | change, vow to keep your eyes open and to look |
| If you dream about having a different career, but | | | | beyond the obvious. |
| don't act on that dream, you may be operating under | | | | Career Myth #6: Asking "What's the best thing for |
| the assumption of a career myth. In this article, I | | | | me to do?" is the right question |
| expose 10 myths, sayings you've heard before that | | | | This is one of the most common questions asked |
| simply are not true. Let's explore them. | | | | when considering a career change or a career move. |
| Career Myth #1: You can't make a living doing | | | | It seems like a logical analysis - weigh the pros and |
| something you really, truly love | | | | cons and evaluate the balance. Do not ask yourself |
| This is the grand-daddy of career myths, the belief | | | | this question!! It rarely leads you to the answers |
| that you can't have a "practical" career doing | | | | you're seeking. It will lead you to feeling |
| something that you were passionate about. It has to | | | | overwhelmed with options (sound familiar?), or feeling |
| be one or the other. This myth is rooted in fear. Fear | | | | like you have to choose what's practical over what |
| that we have to sacrifice our happiness to make a | | | | seems to be impractical. The question that will lead |
| living. Don't buy the myth that you can't earn a living | | | | you to answers is simple (but not easy!!) It is "What |
| by doing what you love.When I first started | | | | do I really want to do?" This is a very different |
| coaching, I heard from plenty of people that it would | | | | question than "what's best?" |
| be very difficult to make a living doing this work. I | | | | Career Myth #7: If you don't like your job, you're |
| just decided to find coaches who were successful, | | | | probably in the wrong career |
| and to learn from them (simple, eh?). | | | | Cause and effect, right? One way to tell if you're in |
| If you find yourself buying into this myth, consider | | | | the right career is whether or not you like your job. |
| this question - As you look back on your life, what | | | | If you're dissatisfied with your job, it's probably a sign |
| will you regret more? Following your passion or | | | | that you need to re-examine your whole career |
| following your fears? | | | | choice. This is frequently what I hear from new |
| Career Myth #2: It's a tough job market/economy | | | | clients who have decided to work with a career |
| Even when the newspapers and other news sources | | | | coach. They know something isn't right because they |
| say that unemployment numbers remain steady, that | | | | don't like their jobs. Their natural assumption is that |
| job growth is at a standstill, or that we're | | | | their dissatisfaction is a symptom of a larger |
| experiencing slow economic recovery, not to mention | | | | underlying issue - their career choice. This is an |
| downsizing and outsourcing, don't believe it.It's a | | | | example of false logic. Not liking your job might be |
| myth because it doesn't reflect the whole story, the | | | | telling you you're in the wrong job. It doesn't |
| fact that that it's a different job market today. It's a | | | | necessarily mean you're in the wrong career. It |
| changing economy. How we transition from | | | | doesn't even mean you're in the wrong job. You |
| job-to-job is different. Hiring practices have shifted. | | | | could just be working for the wrong person or the |
| So the job market has changed, but that doesn't | | | | wrong company. It takes a skillful approach to discern |
| necessarily make it tougher. What makes it tougher | | | | the source of discontent, and I think it's very hard to |
| is that we've been slower to change. We've held on | | | | do it on your own (shameless plug for career |
| to old practices and old behaviors. That's not to say | | | | coaches here!) |
| that old ways still don't work, but they're just not as | | | | Career Myth #8: Everyone needs a mission |
| effective. So I challenge you to just believe that it's a | | | | statement |
| perfect job market for you to find work. I've had | | | | Do you know what your mission is? Mission |
| my college students try this, just for a week, and, | | | | statements are supposed to guide us, keep us on |
| more times than not, several of them find job leads | | | | track, and help us move forward. But what if you |
| or make important connections during the week. | | | | don't have one? Does that mean you're destined to |
| Career Myth #3: Changing careers is risky | | | | never fulfill your potential career-wise? A client who |
| What's riskier than leaving what you know to pursue | | | | was a successful professional contacted me because |
| the unknown? Changing careers means leaving behind | | | | she was at a career crossroads. She felt that if only |
| a piece of your identity - your "I'm a lawyer" | | | | she could find her mission in life, she would know |
| response to the "what-do-you-do?" question. It might | | | | which career path to take. |
| mean admitting to yourself that you made a mistake | | | | She had a clear goal for coaching - find her mission! |
| with an initial career choice. Or it might mean | | | | Instead, the most amazing thing happened. She |
| acknowledging that you're unsure of what's next. | | | | decided that she didn't need a mission. She chose to |
| And smart people always know what's next, right? | | | | trust that she was already fulfilling her mission |
| Nope. Successful career changers often don't have a | | | | statement, even though she didn't know what it was. |
| plan. In Working Identity: How Successful Career | | | | After the client shifted her focus from finding her |
| Changers Turn Fantasy into Reality by Herminia | | | | mission to living her life, an amazing opportunity came |
| Ibarra, she provided evidence that waiting until you | | | | her way and she pursued it. Here's a little tip: If your |
| have a plan is actually riskier than just doing and | | | | mission statement is elusive, stop chasing it. Be still |
| experimenting. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is riskier | | | | and let it find you. And in the meantime, keep living |
| than not changing careers if you're longing to do so. | | | | your life and see what happens. |
| Here's why: The longing won't go away. It will always | | | | Career Myth #9: Expect a career epiphany |
| be there, under the surface, waiting for you to do | | | | When you see a link to "Find Your Dream Job," do |
| something about it. | | | | you immediately click on it to see what's there? Do |
| Career Myth #4: Always have a back-up plan | | | | you look at every "Top Ten Career" list out there to |
| Sometimes having a back-up plan is the smart and | | | | see if anything catches your interest? Do you know |
| prudent course of action. Back-up plans are so | | | | your MBTI type? If you do, you might be falling prey |
| grown-up and responsible. But what happens when | | | | to the career epiphany myth. I'd love, love, love it if |
| you're standing with one foot in and one foot out? In | | | | most of my clients had a career epiphany that |
| my experience, we usually close the door and | | | | indicated to them, in crystal-clear terms, their next |
| retreat. We are reluctant to commit to ourselves, | | | | step. Instead, I see career "unfoldings" or a journey |
| and we end up denying ourselves the satisfaction of | | | | of discovery much more regularly. That is, being |
| playing full-out, getting dirty and sweaty. We end up | | | | willing to not ignore the obvious, the pokes, the |
| with feelings of regret and the nagging "What if?" | | | | prods, and listen carefully to the whisper within. Yep, |
| question. Back-up plans diffuse our energy. Diffused | | | | forget harp music and angels, for most of us, the |
| energy equals diffused results. Give all that you've | | | | career epiphany is a quiet whisper. |
| got to your dream/passion/risk and you've got a | | | | Career Myth #10: Ignoring your career dissatisfaction |
| better chance of being successful. | | | | will make it go away |
| Career Myth #5: There's a perfect job out there for | | | | Oh, if only this worked in the long run!! Granted, it |
| everyone | | | | does work at first. When you find yourself beginning |
| How long have you been searching for yours? You | | | | to question your career, you'll find it's rather easy to |
| just know, deep inside, that there's an ideal job that's | | | | push the thoughts aside and pretend they aren't |
| perfect for you out there. It matches your | | | | there. You know what I'm talking about: the "what |
| personality, skills, and interests to a tee. And it pays | | | | ifs" and the list of regrets.Over time, the random |
| well. If only you could figure it out. If only you knew | | | | thoughts become nagging thoughts. You spend more |
| what it was. Is there a perfect job out there for | | | | and more time daydreaming about options. You build |
| you? No. And here's the good news - there are more | | | | your list of reasons to ignore your growing career |
| jobs than you can imagine that would be "perfect" | | | | dissatisfaction: |
| for you. Chances are you've even come very, very | | | | You're too old. |
| close to a few of those perfect jobs already. So | | | | You don't want to take a pay cut. |
| what happened? And how do you recognize one of | | | | You don't want to go back to school. |
| these so-called "perfect jobs"? Ever see the perfect | | | | You missed your opportunity 5, 10, 15 years ago. |
| gift for someone, but it was months till his or her | | | | With clients in this situation, we work on identifying |
| birthday? Then when you go to find the item later, | | | | and challenging these fears. Sometimes the fear of |
| you can't. Another lost opportunity and you, once | | | | change remains, but there becomes a greater |
| again, berate yourself for not buying it when you | | | | commitment to living than to feeling the fear. |
| first saw it. So maybe you've run into a perfect job | | | | Challenge |
| in the past, but because of the timing, you passed | | | | So now that you know that one or all of these |
| by the opportunity. Or maybe you were so focused | | | | myths have been holding you back, what are you |
| on something else, that you missed an obvious clue. | | | | waiting for? |
| Instead of dwelling on the past, which you can't | | | | |