Career- how to pave one's way up.

I am a regular forum visitor but have changed my log-in name to seek your advice.

What to do with career?

I am a later bloomer. Only started to work about three years ago and realising that I may be not equipped intellectually to produce high standard of work in current role even though I can perform at mediocre level, which makes me feel frustrated a lot because I like to be appreciated for the quality of work and I can't do that. I view my career as a means to funding my property/share investments as well as my "identity". Therefore, it is very important that I perform very well.

In order to increase my effectiveness, knowledge and skills, I read time management books, legal cases, and other work related books at home couple of nights a week. Even though this has assisted with some aspect of my work performance, it is difficult for me to visualise myself slowly climbing up the social/corporate ladder to be a "high flier".

I am beginning to think that I am not made for it to be in the industry that I am in. However, I have given myself 6 more months to see whether I can produce quality work. (I've been in the industry for three years) If not, I would like to move on and try something else and give myself another chance.


How do you re-build a career?

I may be in the wrong forum and asking. But ultimately, I want to live off my investments at the earliest opportunity and not rely on my employment/business income. I want 'working' to become a choice. I've set a tentative goal of $1million income producing assets.

I would like to tap into the vast experience that the forumites have and gain an insight into what I could be doing.

Where do I have to start?

Do you send out resumes just for any old job and take the first one that comes along? In industries that I can transfer my skills? Start from scratch, from a receptionist or a checkout chic?

Do you re-educate yourself? I've been in tertiary education for too long (almost 8 years full time) but would not mind going back if need be. I wouldn't mind going to TAFE if need be. I wouldn't mind doing anything as long as I can gain an entry into something and perform well and make progress depending on my performance.


What do I want to do?

This seems to be the fundamental question that I ask all the time now. To be honest I do not really want to know exactly what I want to do. I can't visualise myself in 5-10 years time apart from being "retired" with $1 million working assets and "relaxing by a seaside town in ****" and traveling occasionally to Europe. I can see this happening if I keep working any job and keep investing....but...

It's so impossible to dream and develop a passion for something.

I can visulise the luxury items and having an affluent life, but it doesn't inspire nor motivate me. It's so hard to visualise something that will excite my heart and make it pounce hard.

Nor can I visualise having a partner or a family either even though I would like to be a parent. It's impossible for me to visualise having a family. I can see myself but it just doesn't seem right.

What do you suggest that I start doing?
 
Hi HA

Mmh - interesting one and something I'm also going through / have gone through. So you want a career but don't really want one, right (as you see yourself on the beach in 10 years' time)? Rather than being bored you sound as if you feel a bit overwhelmed in your current job - too stressful, requires too much ambition / time / commitment?

I found that working out what you don't want is a really good start but doesn't allow you to make a positive choice as you change to get away rather than move towards something you want to do.

A really useful excercise I did recently with a career coach (a group event) was to do some of the skills and motivation questionnaires they do (You can probably get these out of a book too). There was one that was called career anchors which identified 8 different main motivations for doing things in your life, with one being the top choice, then a second one and the rest were irrelevant for you as a personality (so anyone person only really has one major and a second minor career anchor). Very simple test, just ticking boxes as you go through the list of questions. I started laughing as I was going through the test because I could see where this was going and everything fell into place for me.

I've since identified a career I want, one that I will still enjoy and can do when I don't need to make money from it anymore, my husband loves the idea and wants to join me (we've wanted to do something together for ages) so it's perfect! I still have to do a lot of work / talk to people, get further certificates and education to move into the area but for the first time I've found something I want to go to rather than away from!

So I can highly recommend talking to a coach: doesn't need to be the $500/h executive one - just someone who can give you a few tools to work out what you want to do, what motivates you and how you can channel that. I didn't think doing the coaching would make any difference - I've been wrecking my brain for quite a few years now re. what I really wanted to do and what I would be good at, so I should know now, right? Wrong - it's funny what a few multiple choice questionnaires and exercises can do...

Good luck - there is lots of fascinating things for you out there, just got to find the match!

kaf
 
You really do need to figure out what it is you want to do. If you are interested in finance/investment/property then why not train in these areas eg financial planner, mortgage broker, real estate agent or something.

Unless you are reasonably happy with the field you are in you will find it difficult to apply the mental resources and energy to produce high level work, well that's been my experience anyway. I wouldn't recommend just sending applications around for any old job - especially for checkout chick or whatever, as it will give potential employers the wrong impression of you. Also, it is very difficult getting out of secondary labour market jobs once you are in them as employers may not think you are suitable for work of a higher level.

The suggestion of a life or career coach is a good one - I would seriously think about it if I were in your situation.

Find your passion and the money will flow automatically.
 
High Aspiration,

You'll need to provide a bit more insight into your situation so we can assist with advice on the best way forward.

Have you done the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test, and what personality type are you?
What is the nature of your current job?
What aspects of your current job do you enjoy most, and which least?
Do you like working with numbers, or abstract theories?
Do you like working as part of a team, or alone on complex tasks?
Are you happy to travel extensively?
How old are you?
What's your previous experience?
What's your highest level of education?
What industry sectors have you worked in previously?

That sort of information should help us to get a little more insight into your personality and what it is about your current job that isn't fitting well. There's a job for everyone, the trick is finding the right fit so that you can excel.

Cheers,
Michael.
 
You're not an Aquarian are you? (I am).

You sound bored and uninspired, and need a challenge, as well as not working for a boss or a team.

Classic Aquarian, and there is nothing for it but to find something new to do.

About 5 years is my limit of tolerance for a job. After that I'm just collecting a cheque and it's time to move on for everyone's sake. Although, I was in the one industry for over 20 years, and stayed in one place for 9 of them. The last 3 years were awful.

It doesn't matter what you do; there is no rule that says you have to be in one career your whole life. That's Industrial Age thinking. people used to think they would work their whole life for the one company, the company would reward their loyalty and they would retire with a pension and a gold watch. Most of the people I know who do that are not very happy with their lot, and there is no loyalty from companies anymore. Their loyalty is to the shareholders and the CEO's pocket.

If you are in a job simply to stay long enought to get the long-service leave, then it's time to go. A few extra grand is not worth the grief.

No-one cares if you change jobs every other year, and if they do care then just ignore them. It's your life and you need to be happy as there is no re-run.

If you are handy with your hands, then renovating is a very rewarding and inspirational past-time.

You can do it at your own pace, it can be part of your investing plans, and is very rewarding both financially and mentally (maybe not physically). I love it; it's challenging, fun, frustrating, rewarding and never dull. I am the boss, I punch my own clock, and I am the hardest boss I've ever had.

You can start off slow, doing it part-time while you stay in your current treadmill, but keep the goal of using the renovations to propel you towards that day when you walk out of the office waving goodbye for the last time.
 
High Aspiration,
How old are you?
30

High Aspiration,
Have you done the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test, and what personality type are you?
I am an introvert, judgmental type

High Aspiration,
What is the nature of your current job?
Breaking down problems into basic principles and coming up with innovative solutions.

High Aspiration,
What aspects of your current job do you enjoy most, and which least?

I like the challenge and the new knowledge that I have to absorb everyday.

Downside is that I cannot keep clients happy even though I am not doing a bad job. Even though I act in the best interest of the client, sometimes I cannot give them good reasons on the spot to convince them I am doing a good job. This is basically due to my personality and belief that everyone has a reason for saying something, and I take it all in and think about it before coming up with explanations. I just cannot do this on the spot. I am trying to change but its so difficult as it is in grained as part of my personality. Cannot react fast enough. My brain just freezes.

High Aspiration,
Do you like working with numbers, or abstract theories?

I can probably work with numbers (arithmetic, commerce type of numbers like percentage, simple graphs, the financail planning and understand them better than an average person) but I am hopeless with integration, and complex maths formulas that is part of 4 unit maths- I didn't understand 4 unit maths so I had to memorise, while as I can still do 3 unit maths without revising and memorising.

I am probably hopeless with abstract theories. At uni I found it difficult to anaylse problems/phenomena with two opposing theories and explain the fallacies of the theories but I could tell the difference between the two theories fairly well.

I am also hopeless at presentation which I am working on.


High Aspiration,
Do you like working as part of a team, or alone on complex tasks?

I can probably do both to an extent. As long as I know what I have to do exactly in the group I can do it fairly well and co-operate with people well.

Complex Tasks...this will be dependent up on my intellectual capability to an extent. I am not top calibre person in terms of intelligence. Probably in the 20-30% bracket. I don't qualify to become a member of Mensa. As long as I can conceptualise the problem and understand the nature of the problem I can do well. But if I do not understand what the fundamental problem is and why I have to do it in a certain way and the type of solution that I have to come up with... I fumble... badly.

High Aspiration,
Are you happy to travel extensively?

I am a curious creature. I don't mind traveling as long as I don't have to drive very long(more than 4-5 hours a day) as it causes me nausea at times and affects my motivation to start working.

I don't mind working overseas, don't mind working in a small town, don't mind working in isolated areas.

But I want to work somewhere where I know there is progress in terms of personal skills as well as pay, and social standing. I don't like status quo.

High Aspiration,
What's your previous experience?

- Taught English to foreigners.
- Worked in current industry.
- Did some interpreting while at uni (NAATI qualified interpreter/translater) but never pursued this. I need to do some course at Macquarie or Western Sydney and then would probably have to go to France or Switzerland to get higher qualification to do interpreting/translating at International Conferences. With Australian qualifications its only for community level interpreting/translating- like at the hospitals, courts, business dealings, police etc. After a while it becomes monotonous, you don't learn anything. You are just a machine because the interpreting scenarios do not involve high level of information/knowledge, while as international conferences you do depending on the task.

High Aspiration,
What's your highest level of education?

I have two Bachelors degrees (Arts related). And a post grad certificate related to law.
 
Sometimes it isn't a matter of the individual's own skills but the environment. If you are slogging at a work that has you pigeonholed then all you need to to advance is move to a different company. Sometimes gotta move sideways to go up.

Changing jobs for a similar level but in a company with more opportunity may be an option.
 
Very naiive saggitarius and until I got my first job 3 years ago. Didn't know what the world was like.

Not sure what Saggitarians are like.
Don't worry; they say the first 40 years of work are the hardest!
You're 30 and only been working 3 years? No wonder you hate work.
Keep positive, something will come along..
 
Not sure what Saggitarians are like.
Don't worry; they say the first 40 years of work are the hardest!
You're 30 and only been working 3 years? No wonder you hate work.
Keep positive, something will come along..

I'm 30 and I've been working for 10 years. Should I shoot myself?
 
High Aspiration,

Introverted, hopeless at presentation but pretty good with numbers. Can work in a team with clear goals but works well alone...

Those aren't bad things, but they suggest you might be better suited to a back office career than a front office. Have you considered IT? There's heaps of demand out there for IT guys in all sorts of capacities. If not IT then maybe accounting?

Both those career paths pay well and allow for you to not have to stress the lack of current presentation skills, nor the "on the spot freeze" problem.

Don't get stressed about your perceived inadequacies, embrace them and find the right job for you. The fact that you posted this request under a false pseudonym suggests you're embarressed by these things. Don't be! They're bart of your personal strengths. Everyone is different and there's a job for everyone. I'm sure there's a myriad of other options I haven't identified either.

Cheers,
Michael.
 
I'm 30 and I've been working for 10 years. Should I shoot myself?

No Alex; you started at aged 20. I started full time at aged 17.
Was a paper-round boy on the bike in the wee hours at aged 15. It was $5 per week for 6 days and 1.5 hours a day.
I've managed to not pull the trigger at aged 46.
Hopefully you'll be retired by then.
I've got a couple more years.
 
You are not likely to be able to find the perfect role before you need to change jobs, but perhaps if you can at least step towards it that would be an achievement. It sounds like you may enjoy less frontline client interaction, or perhaps a role where you work as a team within this environment to take some pressure off you. Maybe some of the problem is actually the support or lack of support your current employer provides, maybe it is not just you. Are you the only one in your area that feels like this, or is it common?

Sometimes looking for an excellent company to work for, regardless of the actual work can be a great help to make things better now. A fun and innovative work environment even doing the same work can make a big difference.

Also, you may like to consider a company that can offer you a permanant role that does project based work. That way, if you hate the project, at least you know the people and work will change every three to six months, for example. Especially if you can work under different managers.

As you change roles every couple of years, you get exposed to more and more options, and more and more doors open that you did not know were there.
 
How is this HA? ..
It's so impossible to dream and develop a passion for something.

What are your loves, your passion(s) in life?

What gets the juices flowing? There must be something?

I have never met anybody that didn't have a dream or passion for something....I am quite curious how you have come to this; I could not remain in something that wasn't one of my passions or interests, perhaps part of the reason *work* has never seemed like work to me.

I am not top calibre person in terms of intelligence. Probably in the 20-30% bracket. I don't qualify to become a member of Mensa.

This really saddens me that you think that of yourself....measuring yourself against something like mensa or IQ's....I could take you to two blokes who, as children and young adults people said they would never amount to anything, as kids they couldn't rattle off the alphabet, etc etc....they are two of the most amazing blokes I have ever known, incredible minds/personalities/go getters.

One is a self made millionaire earthmoving guy, the other a self made millionaire trucking fleet owner.

They had a burning desire to succeed and be the best they could (and financially independent) from a young age. I love them very much, they are inspirational to me :)....yes, kicked out of school, but wonderful blokes with hearts of gold and a desire to be the very best at what they love.

Somewhere in you is something that you really love, there is no need to tap dance on a treadmill that aint playing your song.

Hope you find what you're looking for.
 
No Alex; you started at aged 20. I started full time at aged 17.
Was a paper-round boy on the bike in the wee hours at aged 15. It was $5 per week for 6 days and 1.5 hours a day.
I've managed to not pull the trigger at aged 46.
Hopefully you'll be retired by then.
I've got a couple more years.

gee LA , you make me feel better , i started at 17 , and am only 45 , and still dont know what i want to be when i grow up - but i need a change , 28 years with the one company is a long time !!
 
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