The Beginner’s Guide: What No One Tells You About Managing Your Career

"The Beginner's Guide to Career Management " is a 3-part series discussing key areas for effective career management. The first article "Taking Ownership of Your Career " sets the foundation for what this term really means.

In this current article, we review some of the common challenges people encounter while navigating their career decisions.

Next, join me for the final installment as I discuss more complex issues for those looking to make a career transition. Please share this newsletter with your colleagues if you find this information valuable.

~Stacey

If career management was easy, then there would be no reason to tell people to do it. Just like breathing, everywhere you look, people would be inhaling, exhaling, and excelling! There are millions of articles and books on career management (mine included) however, people still can’t figure out how to “do career management”. Even the advice for career management is marketed as slogans one can place on their laptop or bathroom mirror as a reminder to be in control. Phrases such as “It’s Your Career, Take Charge”, “You are the CEO of You” and “Your Career is Your Business” sounds empowering and can be motivating, until you take a deeper look and realize it’s not that simple.

We know that career management is a necessity, but I’ve found the challenge is in the how, and not the what. How you get from here to there is the quintessential question that experts try to answer, and still, people are challenged. The simple reason for this is, from students to experienced professionals, everyone requires a custom approach to solving the specific obstacles to achieving their goals. There are many factors, variables, and cultural differences that come into play when discussing one’s career goals. How many people do you know have accomplished a degree or certification and the job they have now is completely different from what they studied? Exactly.

We won’t solve the problem today for mismatched skills, degrees, and certifications. However, we will review common problems people encounter and possible solutions for moving forward.

Common Questions

“What do I want to do?” is one of the main questions people ask when pondering their career goals. For those who know what they want, then it is just a matter of getting started. However, most people either don’t know what they want or are looking for a change from what they are currently doing. Either way, it’s the challenge of becoming self-aware and then understanding the landscape that one must navigate. Other common questions include:

·??????How do I know this is the career for me?

·??????What options do I have if this doesn’t work out?

·??????Where can I get the experience managers are looking for?

These questions are generally asked in every career conversation. While the advice to “own your career” is what mentors and experts share, what no one tells you is how to overcome the challenges that will definitely come as you start to “own your career”.

The Importance of Self-Awareness

First, becoming self-aware is a big part of your development. Understanding yourself should eliminate the confusion for which way to go because you have done the foundational work to set yourself up for success. Next, choosing a career path should be based on your interests, skills, and strengths. Once you know what career path you want to take, then you must determine if career development or career advancement is your focus. Knowing your focus makes it easier to create a plan and stick to it. In my article “Why You Should Have a Stretch Assignment ”, I describe the differences between?career development?and?career advancement. There are overlaps and synergies for these topics, however, they are used differently at various times in one’s career. Overall, becoming self-aware, actively working your plan, and getting support from others are the keys to achieving your goals.

Pro Tip: Talk often with colleagues about their career journey and lessons learned. Ask them to connect you with their peers who can also add insights.

Common Challenges

Taking ownership of your career can be challenging, but it is also an essential step towards achieving your professional goals and finding fulfillment in your work. There may be some obstacles within yourself that you must deal with first. One of the biggest challenges in taking ownership of your career is figuring out what you really want to do and what steps you need to take to get there. Without having a clear vision for your career, it can be difficult to set goals and take action. Even more, fear of failure is a major obstacle that stops most people from taking a step towards their career aspirations. Fear can hold you back from taking calculated risks and pursuing new opportunities. However, It’s important to remember that failure is a natural part of the learning process and can provide valuable lessons and insights. Connect with colleagues, mentors, and friends to discuss your challenges and gain insights from the fears they overcame in their career.

Once you manage the internal challenges, then you have to navigate the external obstacles. Limited resources, such as time, money, and access to professional development opportunities can stall your progress when taking ownership of your career. However, you can access to low-cost or free resources such as online articles, courses, and networking events, to help build your skills (I've listed a few at the end of this article). Likewise, having a lack of support from colleagues, mentors, or friends can add to your dilemma when pondering how to move forward in your career. One idea that may payoff big is joining industry groups to network and build relationships. People often hire people recommended by their connections (or connections of connections). Finally, political and social issues such as economic downturns, changing job markets, and unexpected life events can create obstacles when thinking about your next career move. By being adaptable and flexible, you can find ways to navigate these challenges and locate opportunities for growth and development. Using a career coach to work through major transitions or leveraging the wisdom of mentors can provide support as you work through your decisions.

Pro Tip: Explore new learning opportunities to continue building self-awareness and in-demand skills. Assemble a circle of supporters who will give you feedback and guidance.

Career Resources

To go deeper in this topic area, check out these free career resources:

A Roadmap for Career Development : This article is a mini-course and sets the foundation for what career development is. Learn 9 ways you can invest in yourself right now to make better career choices.

Balancing Salary and Career Growth : I am not surprised that salary is a major dilemma for a lot of people. Do you stay to maintain your salary and suffer in the role, or do you leave and take a leap of faith that you will recover? Stefano Bellasio gives a brilliant explanation for all the things you should consider if you are stuck in this space. Get deep insights for how to rethink your career strategy if salary is the stumbling block to making progress.

What's Holding Back Your Career Development? The "learning navigator" is a great exercise to view your career from a different perspective. A genius process from Helen Tupper and Sara Ellis that incorporates questions to coach you to answer the hard questions, and hopefully start to make the progress you desire.

Taking ownership of your career can be challenging, but it's essential for achieving your professional goals and finding fulfillment in your work. By recognizing and addressing what may seem like derailers, you can overcome any obstacle and take control of your career progress.

Don’t keep all this good information to yourself! Share this article with a colleague and have them subscribe to my newsletter . They will thank you for it!

~Stacey

Stacey Young Rivers, Ph.D.?is a talent development executive with expertise in developing strategies to close skills gaps and build talent pipelines, she is also a mom,?author , and?researcher ?who loves sharing insights about the career journey.?

Check out her forthcoming book “Career Bluprint : 21 Learning “Soul-lutions to Achieving Your Career Goals” and sign up to get more insights .