I received this email from a career coaching client who worked with one of our associate coaches Stacy Smyk-Santiago and it reminded me of something I wanted to share with you. Many people, especially recent grads, either feel pigeonholed by their degree and experience or wonder if it was worth it, and how much stock they need to place in their degree in terms of their career path. I believe it’s situational, it depends on what you want to do long term. Your degree should not limit the career path you pursue, it should hopefully enhance it. Here’s what the client said…
“Your coaching process shook me out of that filtered approach so I could really see that my talents and passion could be applied in ways I had forgotten. I am really excited and tremendously grateful about the possibilities I’ve rediscovered through this process.”
So when you find yourself limiting your thinking to your past experience or your education, stop for a moment and take time to brainstorm ideas that are related to both of those but not limited to them. For example, spend 30 minutes brainstorming career ideas with a friend, using the mindmapping technique of writing down ideas or words, then in a radius around those words related ideas to help you come up with additional job possibilities. Another way to generate new career paths is to take a career assessment. You can also make a list of keywords of interests or talents/skills and use websites like www.onetcenter.org to see what careers they pull up. Think outside the box, you may just discover a career you’d never heard of that is a perfect fit for you!
Hallie Crawford
Job Coach
P.S. Get one of the most information-rich career newsletters on the web delivered straight to your email inbox! Check out our Free Newsletter to help you along your career journey today!
