Don't Just Dream - DO IT!

5 Steps To Start Moving Your Career To Where You Want It To Be
by Beth Woodworth, M.S., Career Coach

How Many nights have you lain awake thinking about work? Not just how to solve problems or manage your projects, rather how to get away from it? Have you ever felt that you have so many talents, but none of them are being used at your job? Do you daydream about doing something completely different from what you are doing now?

Sometimes we hit a slump with our career and feel trapped. We feel like we are in a “dead-end” job. That job may pay a decent salary, you may know how to do it extremely well, and yet there is something unsatisfying, or even draining about it.

Do you find that you are asking yourself, “what if…?” Have you ever given your dream of a different career the respect to think about it thoroughly?

I spent many years thinking about the possibility of changing my life. I was stopped in my tracks when someone else said to me, “What are you actually DOING to make that change?” Wow. It was that simple question that pushed me to really doing it. I had no problem with talking on and on about it, but this was a “put your money where your mouth is” type of challenge.

This person happened to be my coach so I asked her, “What do I DO? HOW do I do it?” Her simple response was, “What exactly is it that you want to do?” Wow, again. Now she is asking me to actually name it and to say out loud what it is that I have kept in my imagination for all of these years.

I was lucky enough to have a career coach to help me through this process, but for those of you who do not I offer these simple steps to help you move your professional life to its next level.

1. Evaluate your current situation. Are you truly needing and wanting a change in your career? Are you simply fed up with your employer? Is this something that could be changed through negotiating your current situation? Could a lateral move within your company satisfy you? What about changing employers without changing occupations?

2. Evaluate yourself. What are your skills? Which of those do you want to use at work? What is important to you in your career; what are your work values? What type of business do you want to be in? What type of employer do you want to work for?

3. Determine what types of occupations match what you are interested and skilled in. Do these jobs meet your values? Do they pay enough income for you? Do you need to upgrade any skills or become completely retrained?

4. What are your options? Where are you willing to work? Are you willing to relocate? How far will you commute? Is working at home an option? What jobs are available in the geographical location you will work in?

5. How do you make it happen? Is this something you can pursue while you are working in your current job? What steps do you need to take to make this change happen? How much money do you need? What does it look like when you break it down into digestible, feasible steps?

Living out your dream could be scary because of so many unknowns, but the satisfaction that comes with actually doing it makes up for all of those fears. Good luck; Happy Dreaming and HAPPY DOING!