Figuring Out What’s Next in Your Career Is Easier Than You Think

Figuring out how to get where you want to be in your career is a lot simpler than you think.

You ready? Here’s the answer: ask someone who’s already doing it. That’s it. I guarantee you there’s someone out there doing what you want to do or something close to it.

I wanted to work for a consulting firm in the organizational development field. So, I brainstormed on who I could contact.

I recalled one of my classmates became an industrial psychologist. I asked if he’d meet for coffee when I was home in the Washington, DC, area for the holidays.

I was about 30 years old and thought how hard it would be to change fields from a university’s communications department.

I walked away from our meeting confident I could switch fields by bolstering my résumé with applicable experience and by networking.

I began working for a firm several years later in the field he and I talked about that day.

It wasn’t meant to happen any sooner. If I’d immediately switched paths, I may have not met my husband.

People want to help. They want to share their knowledge and experiences. 

There is someone who’s doing what you want to do, you’ve just got to find them. With the Internet now, this makes it so easy.

Before the days when Google was popular, I took a different approach.

In my 20s I thought I wanted to be an associate producer for Dateline so I jotted down producer’s names credited at the end of the show. Then, I got their contact information on the company website and emailed them.

A woman about my age at the time responded. I set up a meeting  and we chatted in-person for at least an hour in her office.

Through this meeting, I realized I didn’t want to work for this show. I can’t remember why, but that was valuable information.

I was able to quickly vet this idea with an informal conversation by reaching out to someone who shared her firsthand experience and knowledge.

Be bold. Send someone an email, or reach out to them on social media. If they don’t respond, it’s not personal. 

But I’ve got to tell you that when I’ve done this over the years, I can’t think of someone who turned me down. And I’ve done this several times.

These exchanges, often with people I'd never met, impacted the trajectory of my career. Keep asking different people if you don’t initially get a response. Someone will respond.

It’s worth the time because through the conversation you may discover you don’t want to pursue the path you thought you did.

Or, you may be convinced you want to move forward. This person can tell you exactly how she or he got to where you'd like to end up. 

The contact could become a mentor or someone you stay in touch with and have as a resource.

Who can you reach out to that can help get you to where you think you may want to go next? Be courageous and reach out to them now.

Don’t overthink it or talk yourself out of it. This step could be pivotal and majorly impact the direction of your life or career.