
EXPERT ANSWER
Nov 15, 2019 - 01:38 PM
If you find yourself confused about your career, the thing not to do is become stressed or think there’s something wrong with you that necessarily needs to be fixed immediately or resolutely. It is common to have self-doubt throughout one's career, and doesn’t always mean it's time to make big changes.
What it does mean is that it's time to tap into new sources of information about yourself. Like any normal person, things have been happening in your life and you’ve adapted to them. You've developed new skills, assumed new values, nurtured new interests, and matured in many ways. You are not the same person, and it is good to learn as much as you can about those changes, and use that information to set yourself up for a new level of success. It says something very good about you that you are dynamic, have grown in your career, and aren’t the same person you were the last time you gave serious thought about your career.
New sources of information may come about by talking to a career coach, taking career tests, job shadowing, attending classes, volunteering, or finding a mentor. Whatever the case, you are in better shape than you think you are, so never tell yourself, "I am too old / young / smart / successful / accomplished / (fill in the blank)" for this.
What it does mean is that it's time to tap into new sources of information about yourself. Like any normal person, things have been happening in your life and you’ve adapted to them. You've developed new skills, assumed new values, nurtured new interests, and matured in many ways. You are not the same person, and it is good to learn as much as you can about those changes, and use that information to set yourself up for a new level of success. It says something very good about you that you are dynamic, have grown in your career, and aren’t the same person you were the last time you gave serious thought about your career.
New sources of information may come about by talking to a career coach, taking career tests, job shadowing, attending classes, volunteering, or finding a mentor. Whatever the case, you are in better shape than you think you are, so never tell yourself, "I am too old / young / smart / successful / accomplished / (fill in the blank)" for this.