How I fell into my first career and consciously chose my second!

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Like a lot of people, I fell into my first career.

With a limited understanding of myself and my options, here’s how my story went:

I graduated with a degree in Media Arts (I know, I’m still not sure myself what that actually was?!)

Worried this wouldn’t be appealing to employers back in 1997, I set about gaining some pragmatic skills, so I?learnt how to use a computer and touch type at my local college, and landed my first job as an admin assistant.

Approximately ten minutes later I was so bored I started volunteering to help with anything else in a bid to distract myself.

By pure chance, that other work was communications related.

Four months later I wrote my own job description and convinced the company I worked for to make me their communications coordinator (what I lacked in experience I appear to have made up for in sheer front!!???)

18 months later I flooded the market with my CV and landed a job in PR (and no, I had absolutely no idea what PR was).

Fast forward 16 years and I’d had a successful climb up the public relations?ladder, reaching the heady heights of Senior Vice President for a global agency.

Now I appreciate this sounds like a happy story, but there was just one problem.

The career that I’d worked relentlessly to build to that point was most definitely not the one I wanted to work at for the rest of my days.

The truth was that PR had chosen me, not I it.

I hadn’t consciously selected it based on my passion for the field, or my top skills, or my intrinsic drivers. At 21 years old I'd?had no idea what these were.

It meant at 37, I felt conflicted. I’d spent 16 years building expertise and credibility in a job I didn’t much care for, and didn’t want to continue doing, which left one burning question:

What on earth might I do instead?

Aside from knowing I wanted a?role that would lead to opportunities and benefits, and not the breadline, I had two other important aspirations.

I knew I wanted to do something that was more fulfilling and meaningful to me, and I knew I wanted a career path that allowed for more space, time and actual living.

But the ‘what?’ completely eluded me.

Like many people who sit at this crossroads, I felt overwhelmed and confused as I ran through the options.

Should I start my own business?

Should I work for a charity or non-profit?

Should I try a company in an adjacent field?

Should I go back to school to re-train for a career in something else?

Should I turn a hobby into a job???

After floundering for what felt like an eternity, jumping from one idea to the next, I hired a coach who asked me some powerful questions.

These questions began the process of honing in on what I really liked and was good at, and provided some thought-provoking guidelines, which?stopped me peering down the wrong avenues and helped me investigate the right ones.

So if, like my 37-year-old self, you’re struggling to identify 'What Next?', try answering the five questions below. Really mull over your answers and consider what the combined results tell you?

1. What activities or types of work have you volunteered to undertake, professionally or personally, because you really enjoy it? What have you willingly put your hand up for, even if it wasn’t part of your job description or expected of you?
2. Would you be happier living somewhere else?
3. When did you stop doing what you loved?
4. If you could write a book to help the world, that was guaranteed to be a best seller, what would it be about?
5. If it was guaranteed that you couldn’t fail, what might you do?

Like me, your answers might just direct your thinking and help inform your second act ??

Alison x

P.S. If you could do with some structured support, check out my "What Next?" coaching programme. It's a proven, scientific framework that will bring you clarity and confidence on the right path to pursue, plus we have a lot of fun along the way! More details and testimonials here!