{"id":56285,"date":"2022-10-25T05:19:11","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T12:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/big-career-decisions\/"},"modified":"2022-10-25T05:19:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T12:19:11","slug":"big-career-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/big-career-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Career Decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cFRESH IDEAS FROM THE BLACKLIGHT\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SBC\u2019s Weekly Newsletter for Professionals<\/h5>\n

Your life will be marked by many career decisions. From your first job out of college until retirement, you\u2019ll be assessing your professional progress periodically to figure out when a turning point is near. In some cases, clear signs<\/a> will show you it\u2019s time for a change asap. But more often, major career decisions trigger hesitation and doubts that you\u2019ll have to work through before making a move. Today we\u2019re sharing strategies to make that decision-making process a bit easier.<\/p>\n

First, thoroughly assess your interests, values, and personality.<\/h2>\n

Our interests change over time, and that can initiate a career pivot. What transferable skills do you have, and how can you connect them to new areas of interest? Next, think about your personality. Do you prefer lots of interactions at work or flying solo? Are you interested in creative tasks or managing practical matters? After all, one person\u2019s dream job can be another\u2019s nightmare scenario.<\/p>\n

Finally, consider the causes you care about and what activities bring on the bliss. Nowadays, most people want their work to have a meaningful impact<\/a> on the world. When you define your values, you can make career decisions that connect to them in a way that offers greater life satisfaction.<\/p>\n

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Next, consult your whole self.<\/h3>\n

Timothy Butler, director of career development programs at Harvard Business School, has a new book on navigating significant transitions. In\u00a0The Four Elements: Finding Right Livelihood in the 21st Century<\/em>, Butler guides readers to tap into their \u2018full self\u201d when making career or other major life changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of us, when faced with a life decision, fall back on our analytical intelligence,” Butler explains in this\u00a0HBS Working Knowledge\u00a0interview<\/a>. “We try to use the brute force of thinking to push the situation forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Instead, he offers a different framework to help people handle career transitions. He labels these vital elements as Identity, Community, Necessity, and Horizon. Butler also homes in on the relevant questions we can answer to illuminate the path forward.<\/p>\n

Identity.\u00a0<\/strong>Think about personal qualities, interests, skills, and our place in the world. Ask yourself: \u201cWhat work roles will allow me to express my deeply embedded life interests?\u201d and \u201cWhat are the signature skills that I bring to any life situation?\u201d<\/p>\n

Community.<\/strong> Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you. Ask yourself: \u201cWhat types of people and what organizational cultures will allow me to thrive and make my biggest contribution?\u201d<\/p>\n

Necessity.<\/strong> This reality check acknowledges that our decisions need to make sense in the real world. And allow us to pay the bills. Ask yourself: \u201cWhat are the nonnegotiable obligations and constraints that bear upon my current work and life choices?\u201d<\/p>\n

Horizon.\u00a0<\/strong>This is the bigger picture element that touches on our most profound sense of values, meaning, and priorities, Butler says. Ask yourself: \u201cHow do I understand and move closer to life in its fullest?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Finally, put your life and career decisions to the \u201cRegret Test.\u201d<\/h3>\n

Whether you\u2019re contemplating a career switch, a return to school, or other important life decisions, the regret test can help. Basically, you ask yourself if the future you would regret that you didn\u2019t take that leap of faith when the opportunity arose. There may be a risk of failure, but what will you regret more: trying and failing, or always wondering what could have been?<\/p>\n

Because as Sydney J. Harris once said: \u201cRegret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Huzzah! You made it to the end of the post!<\/em><\/h4>\n

This post on making big career decisions appeared initially<\/em>\u00a0in\u00a0the Blacklight<\/a>, our weekly newsletter for professionals. At\u00a0<\/em>the Blacklight, we\u00a0aim to illuminate<\/a>\u00a0with every dispatch that lands in your inbox.\u00a0<\/em>If you\u2019re thirsty for guidance to help you slay it at work or as a student and move your goalposts closer,\u00a0sign up<\/a>\u00a0today!<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Big Career Decisions<\/a> appeared first on Stacy Blackman Consulting - MBA Admissions Consulting<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cFRESH IDEAS FROM THE BLACKLIGHT\u201d SBC\u2019s Weekly Newsletter for Professionals Your life will be marked by many career decisions. From your first job out of college until retirement, you\u2019ll be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,749,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-stacy-blackman","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t\n