One of my clients wanted to have clear talents and a real specialisation, which would make it easier for her to decide on the direction of her career. This was not the first time I had heard this wish in my counselling sessions. But isn’t it one of those wishes that fate, in its mercy, might spare us from having fulfilled?
My client was a young woman with many talents and interests and the ability to be enthusiastic about different things. After completing an apprenticeship, she continued her education at a university of applied sciences. She now had many options open to her at the start of her professional career. The choice was indeed a challenge. As Sheena Iyengar describes in her book «The Art of Choosing», too much choice has an overwhelming and paralysing effect on those making decisions. In the famous jam experiment, significantly more customers made a purchase decision when they could only choose between 6 instead of 24 varieties.
Imposition of freedom
My client’s question is relatively new. In previous generations, family tradition may have determined the choice of profession. Or the family’s economic situation offered the offspring no choice and they were happy to have a job at all. Being able to do an apprenticeship was the exception.
Today, many people like my client have the privilege of freedom to choose. This also comes with the responsibility for the decision and the consequences. This can be overwhelming, as I have personally experienced. The well-known «fear of missing out» further exacerbates the problem. How can my client deal with this situation? The question has various dimensions, and I would like to formulate some ideas here on how realistic assumptions can make the decision easier.
Realistic basis for decision-making
Many of my coachees have the idea that there is only one right career for them. Choosing a career thus becomes a kind of search for the holy grail. In contrast, I assume that different careers are possible and attractive for most people, but under certain conditions. And I worked out these conditions with my client in the personal and professional assessment. In addition, we can only ever plan the next professional step and not our entire career, as is often attempted (see article «Career – planning or design?»).
And finally, there are very rarely 100% decisions in life. Every option has advantages and disadvantages. Decisions are therefore internal majority decisions based on our various needs and preferences, as I described in the article of the same name.
So don’t wish for the sad life of a «one-trick pony» who knows no decision-making problems but enjoy your freedom and all the challenges it brings. This is called «collecting experiences» and make big circus out of your life!
#career #personalbranding #selfmarketing
More articles on this topic:
Career decisions are internal majority decisions
Career – Planning or Design?