If you have clarity about what you want and need in your life, you are more likely to get it. This is as true for your career as it is for other things in your life. However, most people spend more time researching and evaluating a car purchase, than they do on that very important thing in life - a career. When it comes to your "life's work," you can significantly increase
odds of building a career you will love by taking a few simple factors into account. These include being clear about what you want to do, where and with whom you want to do it, and what you want to get out of it as well as what you are willing to give up in return. However, this is not way most people approach their career.
Unfortunately, many of us don't plan our careers, we just take jobs. And even when we do some planning, we base our decision on only one or two factors, when there are other equally important things to consider.
When asked about your particular job and career choice, it's likely that you respond with one or two of these statements:
- "It's a great place to work" (culture) - "The guy I'll be working for seems really nice"(command) - "The people are fun" (comrades) - "The pay is really good" (compensation) - "I'll get to do what I want" (contribution)
The problem is, just one or two of these criteria are typically not enough to keep us excited about our choice, and soon we find ourselves not enjoying our work. This is because, although we love pay, our boss is a jerk, or we’re not getting to do tasks we enjoy, or something else we overlooked, is now an issue.
You can avoid this problem by getting clear about 5 C's of your career from beginning. It's important to know what matters to you. Here are some questions to consider:
