Career Planning with a Career Coach

When you were young, and just starting out in the work world, were you certain of the job you wanted? Are you certain now? In most cases, people allow the tail to wag the dog:

• They manage to find a career through suggestions of well-meaning friends or relatives, an ad in the paper that sounded good, or advice from people they respected at the time.
• They wind up eventually saying to themselves, “What happened? How did I get here? Why am I not satisfied in my job? I’m confused. I’m lost. I’m not happy.” They usually think, “Maybe something is wrong with me?”
• And, ultimately their self-esteem suffers and they lose their confidence.

Why? Most people have inaccurate information or beliefs about themselves.

• Operate under assumptions they have never examined.
• Are unclear or conflicted about what they really want or value.
• Are unaware of their own abilities and interests and how their skills and preferences can fit into a career.
• Are at a loss as to how to find the career that is right for them.

There is a wealth of occupational and vocational information available, but most people:

• Find it difficult to ask pertinent questions.
• Are too discouraged to motivate themselves enough to find answers.
• Don’t know how to penetrate the overwhelming mass of material.
• Don’t know how to distinguish biased information from facts.
• Do not have a method for making career-related decisions.
• Often make career decisions haphazardly.
• Find that obtaining a job is a lonely, frustrating task for which they are not prepared.

We can help people decide. We don’t decide for people, but rather aid people in how they go about deciding. We point out:

• Assumptions, which may be questionable.
• Constraints, which may be self-imposed.
• Problem definitions, which may be restrictive.
• Alternatives, which may be incomplete.
• Solutions, which may not fit the problems at hand.
• Effective and sound reality checks.

So, if you would like a supportive environment, career coaching and encouragement throughout the entire Skill Assessment Career Discovery process, give working the Winning Ways Program a try. Call for an appointment. You’ve got nothing to lose.