At some
time in your career, there will come a time when what you want and
what other's want from you will diverge. It has happened several
times in my life and each time it was a challenging moment. When it
happens to you, you will find yourself questioning some very basic
truths about your work and your life. Finding answers requires some
hard thinking and, sometimes, difficult choices. What will you do when
the time comes to choose between your own path or someone else's? Are
you ready to face that decision today?
This way or that?
As you work through your career, day by day, month by month, each
decision you make will move you in one direction or another. Will
you focus
on tech support or networking? Do you want that supervisor position
or are you more comfortable as a member of the larger team? Is network
management starting to feel dull? Each assignment you take on, each
project that you promote will steer your career. Sometimes it happens
in subtle ways and sometimes more dramatic. Sometimes your boss comes
to you, unannounced and asks you if you want the supervisor position.
Sometimes a project is dropped in your lap without any notice.
Your goal is to recognize the cumulative effect of all these little
decisions and try to see where it is leading you. In this way,
you can seek to counteract that direction or enhance it. Instead
of just
moving from task to task and project to project, you start to gain
some knowledge about your path and your desires for the future.
Without this knowledge, you will find your career being directed
by those
around you instead of yourself. This is never a good situation,
as it usually
brings you to a destination that is different than your true desire.
Do it my way
No matter how much you might try to direct your career, though, there
will be those managers who think they know what is right for you.
To be fair, sometimes they might have good ideas, but you need
to investigate
and approve each turn in the career road, not simply follow someone
else's direction blindly. You will often find that other's advice
is given more to solve their problems than direct your career.
Does your manager really think you would be a good supervisor, or
are they only trying to find a quick solution to their staffing problems?
Does your co-worker want to swap projects because they think you
would
do a better job, or do they want to avoid a project that they believe
is doomed to failure? Are you being pushed in one direction simply
because no one else wants the job? Beware of these outside attempts
to direct your career.
Stand up
Whenever you are presented with a career-directing task or project,
take the time to think deeply about the ramifications. Follow the
path to the logical conclusion. Where will this assignment lead?
What direction
is this taking me? Then, if you have any issues with this direction,
you need to talk to your manager. You need to inform them of your
concerns, especially if this assignment is leading you far off
your chosen path.
Find out why this particular assignment was given to you. It might
be that there is no one else to do it. It might be that you have
a better relationship with the parties involved. This happens in
every
job, and it will not be a problem, as long as your manager understands
where you want to direct your career and not assume that accepting
this project means you want to spend all your time in this work.
Finally, if you find yourself consistently being pushed in a career
direction that is wildly different from your goals, you need to take
action to restore that career direction. Perhaps this company isn't
the best place to pursue your goals. Maybe you decided that this
career isn't where you want to spend the rest of your life. Does
your manager
understand your needs? Are they ignoring them or are they lacking
the power to assist you? Have you done everything you can to communicate
your career direction?
In the end, it should be your decision how you build your career.
Don't let your managers, or your own action, dictate your career
by default.
It is only by actively directing your career that you can hope to
achieve the success you deserve.
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