I confess. Despite belonging to the NCDA (National Career Development Association), I struggle with the phrase ' career development' and what feels like a mechanical approach to something as important the way we find meaning through work. And life. How to evoke the living breathing quality of you, a human being living, loving, working, having an effect on the work you do and being affected by it? Whether you have a bunch of “careers’ or one long career (however you define it) you will learn and grow, and, as you change so do your needs, circumstances, skills, interests, curiosities and passions.
Your career will reflect and catalyze this. It’s part of you, an expression and a shaper of you, so, to make any transition, it’s the YOU in the process that needs attention. Adaptation, creativity, the unknown, courage, strategy, analysis, uncertainty, assessment, synchronicity, mutation, motivation, and resilience play roles in your personal evolution (and the ways your career evolves with you). This seems even more true during our current Covid19 times.
The part of my professional life that I spent as a full-time professional ballet dancer influenced my next series of career decisions, leading me to new paths, insights and learnings and those choices informed the next ones, and on and on. No one was more surprised than I when, at 28, I discovered performing classical ballet (something I’d trained for my entire life up to that point) no longer fit. I was truly lost. It wasn’t until I started to pay attention to my inner life, that I made contact with the compass that helped guide what came next.
Have you evolved beyond your current role? What are your clues? Are today's circumstances forcing you to adapt? How are you responding to the call? These are important questions and the answers are the difference between treading water, sinking or heading to shore.
Wherever you are in your current career or job situation, no matter how you define a career, you may go through this process independently, but almost everyone can benefit from getting expert career transition coaching and guidance.
Judy Garfinkel helps you clarify "what's next." She crafts bespoke resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and bios that open doors for her clients and land jobs. Her expertise in building confidence and resilience supports personal growth and the ability to navigate career and work transitions – especially now! Judy is President of the International Coaching Federation-Connecticut Chapter where she leads a membership of near 200 coaches.