It’s tough to get motivated to evaluate your career path, whether you’re a directionless college student or a well-established professional with family obligations. A big stumbling block to career change is the fact that something about your current situation works for you. Otherwise you likely wouldn’t be there. (Except if you’ve been hit by a bus…)

Some examples:

• You’re underemployed (working in a boring job that doesn’t challenge you) but you receive a steady paycheck needed for your family.
• You’re a college student who has chosen a major but has no idea what career path you want to take after college. Maybe you don’t want to face life’s reality that you can’t live off student loans/parents forever. Or you think “real” work, by definition, can never be fun.
• You’ve been laid off, out of work and directionless for several months. You suffered blows to your self-confidence; and you have a limited monetary and family support system.

I’m not trying to be the “Dr. Phil” of career choice and say, “that dog don’t hunt” to people in the above examples. I just want to give you a push to say, stop talking about how much you don’t like your job or you don’t know what to do next – and do SOMETHING.

Start by writing down:

1. Positive aspects or comforts of your current career situation. Even unemployment can be a “pro” – think of all the time you have to work out! Talk to friends on the phone, surf the Internet (even if it’s for free at the library). Yes, I’ve been unemployed before so I know what I am talking about.
2. Negatives of your current career situation. Go beyond “not making enough money” and look at yourself – “I don’t feel challenged” or “I find little to no joy or fun in my work.”
3. Do the positives outweigh the negatives? If so, you’re not ready for change.
4. Take small steps to evaluate your career path. Even if it’s for a half hour after work each day. Getting started with the suggested activities in these 3 steps will lead to a career choice you won’t regret:

1. Know Yourself.
2. Know Your Options.
3. Make a Good Decision.

Get a cup of coffee and pick up your pen. Good luck!

This blog post was graciously submitted to BizzyWomen by The Career Key Blog, run by Juliet Wehr Jones, J.D.  The Career Key™ gives you expert help with your career search and career choices — career change, career planning, job skills, and choosing a college major. Our career assessment helps you find a career by matching your personality with careers and providing you complete and accurate information about each career you choose to explore.

Learning about your career options and planning and preparing your career path are proven success strategies, regardless of generation. Top guidance and career counselors are trained to provide this kind of help. Ideally, you get realistic and practical advice along with encouragement to reach for higher goals.

A good example of top notch career guidance is Ilene Frommer, who was recently profiled in the New York Times. She is a guidance counselor at a public high school in Sonoma County California. Once you read about a typical day in the life of Ms. Frommer, you’ll not only appreciate the critical work she does, but also the work of thousands of other excellent school counselors across the country. Visit her high school’s online college and career planning resources to see what top quality advice she provides her students and parents. If you’re a working adult contemplating a career change, much of the advice is timeless.

Even if you do not have access to a counselor like Ms. Frommer, thanks to the internet you can take a page from her playbook (forgive the sports metaphor) and learn from her career planning approach, which is similar to ours. In fact, Naviance – the online course, college and career planning system her school uses, includes The Career Key as part of their product. Whether you are 17 years old or 50, the lessons are the same – research and planning, career information and preparation, are your tickets to success.

This blog post was graciously submitted to BizzyWomen by The Career Key Blog, run by Juliet Wehr Jones, J.D.  The Career Key™ gives you expert help with your career search and career choices — career change, career planning, job skills, and choosing a college major. Our career assessment helps you find a career by matching your personality with careers and providing you complete and accurate information about each career you choose to explore.