I was on a call with a candidate that I was talking to about a possible job opportunity.
My first question always is “Tell me about yourself. How did you get started in your career?”
His reply was not atypical. He was pursuing a degree in aviation, and, in his last semester of college, he had an internship with a tech company. He was not passionate about aviation, but he loved tech.
Life has a way of leading you to your career path.
After graduation, he joined the tech company as a quality assurance analyst testing software. He then moved into a business analyst role where he worked with the business to understand their needs and translate them into software solutions. Then he became a release manager that included digging into code.
He liked it all but said he kept switching roles because, after a couple of years he was no longer challenged.
Until he was offered a Project Management role. He found his niche. He has been a PM for over 6 years and has no plans to change.
My next question was about what he was looking for in an ideal role. He said he loved to have a variety of tasks. On any given day he might help test software, work with the BA’s on the business requirements, do the technical cost estimation of a project, guide more junior project managers and manage projects himself.
Your Career Path is No Surprise to the Universe
I observed how wonderful it was that all the things he that he liked at the beginning of his career were now a part of his what he loved about his current role. He helps out other teams when they get stuck or are short-handed because he learned those skills years ago.
He had never recognized this before. This was a bit of an ah-ha moment.
But not to me. I know that everything is happening FOR us not TO us if we allow it.
That miserable commute.
That toxic work environment.
That boring software training.
That job that sucked the life out of you.
Every one of those experiences was adding to you. You learned something. Maybe you gained a skill that you are now using or learned more clearly what you did not like.
Try This:
Take a few moments and jot down all the jobs you had since that first babysitting job. What were some of the skills you learned or things you learned about yourself?
Now, look at the career you have spent most of your time in to date. How did those early roles contribute to your success now?
We may not always understand in the moment why we are experiencing what we are experiencing but if you can look at things and ask, “how is this happening FOR me?”
If you are ready to take all you’ve learned and find that position that is perfectly suited for you then sign up for Take Charge One-on-One Coaching today.
