With skis on my shoulder, I headed for the door of the log cabin Hotel. Knowing it was my first day of skiing, the Manager passed on some local wisdom, “If the fog descends on the mountain, follow the trail poles or wait for professional help.”
Crisp bracing air, majestic mountain peaks and clear sunny skies welcomed me to the Swiss Alps. The Manager’s advice was superseded by picturesque views from the alpine gondola of wooden chalets and snow-covered mountain ranges and, upon disembarking, exhilarating ski runs … until the moody mountain conditions encouraged clouds to envelope the peak.
All of a sudden everything around me went white, as the all encompassing fog wrapped itself around the mountain like a heavy blanket. Confusion about which direction to go, lack of clarity about the correct path to follow and fear about dropping off the side of a 100m cliff gripped me as I waited for the cloud to lift.
All we could see were the tall, fluorescent trail poles lined up three metres apart, indicating the safe path down the mountain. In the thick fog, only one pole could be seen at a time, prompting extreme caution as we all tentatively skated along the path. Our hopes were lifted as a Mountain Guide appeared, leading our ‘lost’ party to the safety of the village below.
I was recently asked by a business colleague, “So what do you do?” “I’m a Fog Guide,” I creatively replied. “I help people through their Career fog.”
The symptoms are similar. Surprisingly, and all of a sudden, you have a sense that it’s time to change careers. The impact of a future career change can suddenly bring on a lack of clarity, loss of direction, low self confidence and, over an extended period, diminished hope for the future.
You don’t know what sort of career change you want or what type of career suits you. Is it better to just stay miserable where you are, because it’s ‘secure’, or should you search for a new vocation, attempting something different? But what if it’s not the right path for you and what will happen if you veer too far off the safe trail?
These are all questions asked by an individual who is experiencing the symptoms of future career change or Career Transitioning. So, what are the answers to these questions and who should you seek to guide you through your disorientated state?
When one is in this circumstance, there are six prominent ‘guide posts’ and a Career Guide to help you along your vocational pathway:
1. Calling
When asked the question, “Do you believe there’s a reason why you’re on the planet?” ninety percent of clients respond, “Yes, but I don’t know what it is!” Some career theorists propose that our career calling has been ‘planted’ within us [When? They don’t say].
Apparently, it is revealed during our ‘sub-conscious’ years, that is, from the time we can talk to about 10, 11 or 12 years old. When asked the question from a careers counsellor, “So, what do you want to do?” the frequent response from a teenager or adult is, “I don’t know!” — because their conscious mind is predominant.
Therefore, one of the keys in finding your vocational ‘calling’ is to ask those who observed you when you were an infant.
2. Gifts
To complement our ‘calling’, it’s believed that we’ve received innate gifts to help fulfil our vocation. Our gifts are usually what we do naturally, easily or well. For example, being a good listener, compassionate, a leader, organiser, artist, athlete, musician, analyst, writer, speaker, etc.
Note: Because it’s what we do easily, we often don’t know what our gifts are. Therefore, we need to ask (sincere, positive, affirming) friends & family what they are. Once identified, we then need to develop them, if they’re to be truly effective.
3. Interests/Hobbies
The things we enjoy the most in our leisure time can often be an indicator to our career path. Ask yourself the question, “What is it about this activity that fascinates me, why do I enjoy it, and what elements of it could relate to a career?”
4. Education
What subjects did you enjoy in Primary/Elementary School, High School or University? But what specifically interested you in that subject, e.g., solving problems, doing experiments, being in an outside environment, physical activity, studying anatomy, helping people, etc.
5. Personality
Do you like to work alone or with people, when assessing a situation do you naturally use intuition or do only rely on facts and figures, when making a decision do emotions play a part or is it purely scientific, and is your world governed by structure, schedules and time lines or exactly the opposite?
6. Work Place
Is it indoors, outdoors, flexible times, a structured schedule, underground, involving heights, using machinery, in nature, technical, serving people, in an office, hot, cold, wet, etc. Each of these working environments either serves our vocational temperament or alienates us.
7. Guidance
Who do you ask to help you make a decision about your future, who do you trust with your vocational fulfilment and who knows the most about this area of expertise? You can definitely place a price on misspent educational fees, because you chose the wrong course, but can you also put a value on frustration and dissatisfaction because you can’t find the right employment niche? Will you seek advice from the pub barman, the corner store lady or do you invest in a professional, to safely lead you along the wisest career path?
You’re a unique, talented and gifted individual! Once you find your niche and develop it, you will be more fulfilled, people will be positively affected and communities potentially impacted. It’s my wish that you have an enjoyable career journey, as a lot of people are depending on your safe arrival!