Go Your Own Way

Where have you been? Where are you going?

You can answer these from a travel perspective or thinking about life in general. Travel may be something we all want to do, but this post will focus on where you’ve been and where you are going in life.

This post is inspired by a friend, who for work purposes had to post a picture of herself with a piece of paper saying very briefly what she left school to do and what she is doing now. It was to highlight to people, particularly school leavers who received their exam results that there is no wrong path to get to places. It isn’t the end of the world if your exam results are not what you hoped they would be.

It’s true, at school the pressure was on to do well and to go to Uni or College. Exams were where your whole life started and if you failed them, that was it. But life isn’t like that. Your exam results aren’t required for living your life or having a relationship. They are great for getting into Uni or College but that states you’ve got the academic ability to do well it doesn’t mean you will be suited to the job you are training to do.

Moving away from that, where did your journey begin? Perhaps you are someone who always knew what you wanted to do, and are doing the job of your dreams. I always find it amazing how some people just know what to do and set out to do it. I wasn’t one of those people. I have tried a few things and still have no clue what I really want to do…I think I will get to 70 and think the same.

There is nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do and equally trying a lot of different things. The experiences you have will determine what you like and don’t like. They will help shape your future and guide you onto something else. Taking a chance on something can take you on an incredible journey. Not knowing what’s ahead can be terrifying for some. Although we can to a certain extent control our career, we don’t know what life has in store for us from a personal point of view.

Looking at what you’ve done, what you are doing and where you are looking to go, is there something that links all of them ie great customer service, care of individuals, organisational skills. They may not seem linked from the titles but dig a bit deeper and take a look at the skills you’ve used for each role.

If you are looking to move to your dream job or onto something else but are struggling to take the next step, stop and take a moment.

Ask yourself if it is what you really want. We can be so sure we want something and then when it comes to the crunch, we don’t feel it is right for us. However, by this point, we may already have committed to change and don’t want to back out. But it is your life and even if you have a family, making choices which make you happy that get you doing a job you love can only be a positive move.

Once you have established what you want and what you don’t want then set out to get it! It doesn’t matter if you got awful grades at school, it’s what you have done since that matters. You may have to get some qualifications for your next role, this will likely mean you have to go to college or university. Is it something you can do full time? Or more an evening/part time course. This route may take longer, but think of the possibility you then have to earn whilst you learn.

Speak with your employer, they may be happy to support you reducing your hours to attend college or university. If this course is to help you get promoted or move into another area at your work, then your employer may be more than happy to give you time off to attend classes and go part time or even give you financial aid or pay for part of your course. You never know unless you ask.

Start your journey to your new career today. Take small steps to initiate change. Talk with your friends and family, get their support, can they help look after the kids so you can study? Or maybe they can help with dinner one night. Just ask. And speak with your employer, you may be surprised how happy they are to help you out and to ensure they keep you and your skill set on!

So what are you waiting for? Start on the path to your dream job today.

Have a great week, take care and look after you.

Love Emma xx