If you’re reading this post my guess is that you were intrigued by the title and perhaps are looking to make a change. When discussing desired career transitions with others, the most common statement I hear is “I don’t know where to start.” For some, this points to a lack of vision for career or life pursuits. If you don’t know where you’re headed, you certainly won’t know where to start. For others, however, this can be indicative of a lack of skills necessary to executive vision in a series of calculated, strategic steps executed over time. For both of these groups of people, I have some tips to help you on your journey.
- Focus on how it feels, not specific details surrounding the job description or career. One question I’ve heard a few times over the years is “Your job seems so cool! How did you know you even wanted to do this?” And my response is always the same, “I didn’t.” My career path has been a unique journey starting as a Commodities Trade Control Analyst, then an Energy Trading and Risk Management Consultant and eventually Retail Energy Pricing Analyst. I had a engineering friend once tell me comically “See y’all business majors be making jobs up. I didn’t even know this stuff existed.” I laughed hysterically and reluctantly agreed, “Me either.” As a young girl, I always dreamed of being a business woman – arriving to work in a corporate office downtown, wearing suits to work, going to meetings, delivering presentations. Essentially, I wanted to be Vivica A. Fox’s character on Two Can Play That Game. In that movie, Fox’s character worked in marketing and advertising. I didn’t know if I wanted to do that specifically, but I did know how what I ultimately wanted to do looked and felt. This mentality allowed me to explore avenues that I would’ve never pursued if I was tied to a specific career description or path. Focus on the feel – what you like and don’t like – and allow the rest to be made up with experience.
- Be okay with intermediate steps along the way. If your dream role is to be a marketing director at a well established company in the field of start-ups and technology (for example), there are plenty of steps you can take along the way that’ll get you closer to that reality than an extremely linear career path. By the term “linear” I mean something like this: Marketing Analyst –> Marketing Senior Analyst –>Marketing Manager/Team Lead –> Marketing Vice President –> Marketing Director. If you know you want to work in the tech industry, great! However, you may not be the best candidate right now with your current experience and that’s okay. Obtaining a role in marking in an industry you never imagined working in may be your best bet. There could be a role at an established Day Care center for an “Advertising and Communications Coordinator”. Is this your dream “Marketing Analyst” @ Awesome Tech Company role? Definitely not. But it could be this role that equips you with the skills necessary to gain experience and make the leap one day. Be open-minded.
- Open yourself up to new opportunities. As stated above, you don’t know where one role could ultimately lead you. In addition to this, you also don’t know how fulfilling a role that you thought you were uninterested in could be. When I first applied to my Wall Street Internship, I had one role in mind “Investment Banking Analyst”. I dreamed of being the female Gordon Gekko (see Wall Street movie) – performing evaluations, putting together pitchbooks, the whole nine. However, when applying for the Investment Banking internship I was not accepted. The recruiter, however, thought I had talent and could be a great fit in the “Finance and Accounting” department. It wasn’t the Hollywood, no-sleep, Investment Banker role I’d dreamed about but it was interesting and intriguing. If I’d said no to this opportunity I would’ve kept myself from ultimately working at the number one investment bank on Wall Street in a role that was intriguing, fulfilling and challenging. Don’t limit yourself!
- Be patient. Maybe your dream role isn’t the Marketing Director as mentioned above. Maybe your goals consist of something more straightforward and lower-level, like a Junior Analyst role. Because you know that you’re entry-level, you apply like crazy to entry-level jobs, and still come up empty-handed. My advice to you is this: Be patient. As mentioned above, there are many ways to one ultimate desired outcome. If you’re lacking certain skillsets for that “Junior Anaylst” position, then go acquire them in a role that you wouldn’t have previously considered. The job that you accept along the way may not be the job or the goal. I am a firm believer in a statement shared by T.D. Jakes in his book Soar, “If this isn’t the thing, this is the thing that leads to the thing”. Your life is a series of dominoes falling in line, one event leading to the other.
- Be humble. You may be a recent college graduate with a B.A. in Finance and have been unable to land your dream “Financial Analyst” position. You’re upset because you believe you deserve better. There is an opportunity for you to work in the Accounts Payable department @ XYZ Company and you know you could get this job in your sleep. But its Accounts Payable and you’re better than that. I mean, you have a degree for Christ-sake! My advice to you? Humble yourself, grasshopper. If the path to your Financial Analyst dream job includes working in Accounts Payable along-side high-school graduates then so be it. This Accounts Payable position could quickly lead to a “Team Lead” role because you are the lone college grad amongst co-workers with lower education levels. That “Team Lead” role could equip you with the leadership and managerial experience you’ll need one day soon. You’re not better than any opportunity, especially when you’re in lack (in regards to experience, skill-set etc.).
In short, if you find yourself in a confused in-between place, take a moment to process these five points. One session of self-reflection could lead to a change in perspective and eventually, a change in reality.
