numerouno
New User
Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 11
Career Advice: +0/-0
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:02 am Post subject: Career Planning is for WIMPS! |
 |
|
DO NOT Plan Your Career!
You may well be constructing a comfortable, but bland imprisonment, from which the only parole is retirement!
How dare I utter such sacrilege! Let me clarify…
The value of career planning is directly proportional to your self-awareness in terms of personality, character, motivations and aspirations. Salary and employment conditions are important. However, if you do not have an underlying sense that your productivity is related to a greater good, they will become a millstone over time.
I recently had a conversation with a well paid and senior consultant within an organisation who said "You know, I would still like to pursue my early dream of becoming a psychologist, but now I couldn’t afford the drop in salary!" This person is a productive and respected professional, but he sees more inherent value in the career choice of his dreams than in his current role. His salary and conditions are now barriers to career choices on which he places a higher value.
"So what?" you ask. I simply make the point that the usual trappings of success hinder my acquaintance in maximising his own sense of fulfilment. At some point in his early working life he did some career planning. Sadly, it was "mortgage-driven" rather than an expression of his intense interest in human behaviour. Ironically, there are psychologists who are earning as much or more as this individual, having reached prominence in their careers.
Plan your Life Instead
Self awareness means many things, but critically it means knowing those things on which you place great value or importance. My view is that this should be a key element in directing your educational path, ongoing learning, associations and career choices to the greatest possible extent. Follow your interests and related opportunities are likely to open up at their own time and place. Admittedly, if your interests are especially extraordinary (i.e. an overwhelming desire to document the average leg length of every snake species on the planet) fulfilling job opportunities may be limited. In this instance I’d suggest an academic career!
However, for the vast majority, a good understanding of what you find intrinsically motivating and developing the knowledge and skills to pursue these passions will position you for a satisfying career that is closely aligned with your own values. Put in the hard work and be prepared to reap the benefits. Nothing grabs the attention more than the individual who is enthused with what they are doing.
"Good luck is where hard work and opportunity coincide"
The source of this wisdom is unknown, but the wisdom is evident nonetheless. We do not know when that opportunity will occur, but keep working on the dreams and aspirations until it does. Sometimes this will mean "making do" with a job that may not be to our liking for practical reasons, but always anticipate that opportunity and be ready when it occurs.
Career planning is sometimes conceptualised as a linear and upward trajectory in a predefined career pathway. Organisations often have explicit "work force planning" programs to ensure that they have the "right" person for the "right" job at the "right" time. A risk is that this can lead to the "Peter Principle" (i.e. "rising to your level of incompetence"). Another risk is that this approach does not fully take into account what is "right" for the individual.
The individual career path, if driven by personal values and commitment to pursuing genuine interests, may have the appearance of being random, unpredictable and characterised by "lateral" job changes rather than "progression". My money says that when you speak with people who plan from an individual perspective, they tend to be much happier and more fulfilled in their work.
Do I Walk the Talk?
I myself undertook a degree in Psychology because of an interest in what makes people "tick" and a desire to do something meaningful (to me) in terms of service to the community. Still in my teens, an unexpected part time job in a residential child care facility came up. Over time, the learning in psychology connected strongly with my work in this field. The next stage of my career was an unexpected diversion to employment as a Director of child care centres (for families of working mums and dads). I never anticipated this, but the key elements of community service and human behaviour and relationships were there. I loved the work and thrived in the field.
More unexpected opportunities came in the form of vocational lecturing and supervision. After several years I commenced a career in government which involved managing districts and broader children’s services programs at a state level. The connection with my personal "drivers" was still strong.
Then there came a period where a series of organisational amalgamations and changes brought me to the point where I was dissatisfied. Dissatisfied, because I felt myself to be an impotent part of a beauracracy with reduced opportunity to influence positive outcomes for children, students families and staff. I reached a point of feeling incapacitated and worthless, but kept doing what I could to make a contribution. After a major restructure ( or re-re-re-re-structure) I was in a senior administrative position which just didn't "do it" for me.
No need for despair though. Years of hard work and personal development opened another unexpected door as a senior consultant in occupational health and safety. So, what is the connection with my personal motivation? The connection, quite simply, is that health and safety is about people. Ensuring the safest possible workplace is about culture and attitude and an ability to positively influence these.
Yes, there are mundane audits and administrative tasks to be done. But there are also great opportunities for development of self, others and systems with important outcomes : health safety and well-being.
And Finally…
You have your own story, your own aspirations and your own values. Pay attention to these. They may well be the best kept secret to your happiness and fulfilment.
So don't plan a career…get a life instead! |
|
Register
Log in
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
