How to "Find" a Career, and Whether (on NOT!) to Follow Directions
I recently took a driving trip West from Virginia to Olympic National Park and back. As we drive, my co-pilot, Sally, and I are frequently confronted with conflicting directions. "Here’s the easiest path to follow," says Google Maps. "No, here’s the fastest route," says Waze. Yeah, but this looks more interesting this way, says my navigator. This source looks for unexplored and off-the-beaten paths. The most recent off-the-beaten path took us to Cape Disappointment (okay, they have a marketing problem with the name, just saying) and an abandoned lighthouse. Last week, the more interesting path led us to an abandoned rocky beach in Mendocino. Frequently, the off-the-beaten path leads us to places that become a new launching place for the rest of our trip. Even on the trails, the map may urge caution, but leaves the decision to explore up to you.
When you are trying to forage a career, directions can be useful—how to set up a LinkedIn profile, how to do a resume, how to interview. But when you are exploring your career direction, “how to’s” can be confining, restricting. “How to” pick a career is an oxymoron of sorts—one doesn’t really pick a career: one rambles, one gropes, one steps, one ambles, one feels, one experiences a career.
As you can see, I struggled for the word, but that’s what careers are—they are pathways, they are unexplored territories, they are amblings. If you know that, doesn’t that make it easier? Doesn’t that relieve some of the pressure? Knowing that you will “feel” your way through your career, rather than plan it—isn’t that anxiety relieving? Now, don’t get me wrong: there are rules, directions if you will, that lead to different outcomes. You should know those—consider them guideposts, or guardrails. But different guiderails apply to different goals/desires/wants/needs, so as you jump into a “search,” it’s incredibly important to understand your wants/needs/desires/goals, and the “guideposts,” of different career options before you proceed.
That’s where a career coach comes in. A coach knows the standard directions, and when you can hop off the beaten path. A coach not only helps you create options you haven’t thought of, but a coach also helps you understand the guardrails of your options—who you must talk to, what you must know, how you must position yourself.
I’ve created this newsletter to give you insights into the rules and the non-rules. I focus on exploring—when going the interesting path might be the best path, and when the “Waze” directions might just help you avoid some traffic.
Subscribe, and I hope you’ll find guidance in your career journey, and that you’ll enjoy exploring with me. Reach out to me at everette@everettefortnercoaching.com.
