Dear Workaholic: How do I figure out what I want to do with my life?
Great news!
Going forward I will be doing a monthly advice column and I’l be answering all the questions I’ve been receiving from readers. If you have a question you want answered, then email me on: helpmegetunstuck@gmail.com
Today I’ll be answering this question:
“During Covid, I lost my job and now I feel stuck as to what I should do next. I would like to work in a place I love and in a job that suits my strengths. I’d like to know myself more to know what i’m good at. Can you help?“
To get to the bottom of this question, we need to start with the basics:
Step 1: Create a life plan
Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years? Who do you want to be as a person and what impact do you want to have in other people’s life, if any. To help you through this step, read my earlier article on how to create a life plan here:
Step 2: find your strengths
What are you good at? There are a couple of ways to do this:
Ask people you trust and respect
Look at the things you do (personally and professionally) and write down what you enjoy the most (ex being with people, analysing numbers, solving problems etc)
Look back to your childhood: the qualities that stood out when you were a child and that your parents and teachers noticed are your natural abilities.
Look for patterns; what areas tend to come up again?
Step 3: look at the past
What did you do work wise before that didn’t work for you? Did you have to manage people and found it stressful? Had to crunch numbers and hated every minute of it? Write down what didn’t work so you know what to avoid.
Step 4: Brainstorm
So far you have collected quite some data. You know where you want to be in a number of years, you know what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing but you also know what didn’t work before. So where does this lead you?
Ask yourself: “What do I really want to do?” and write down any ideas come to mind, no matter how crazy.
Step 5: Evaluate
Evaluate your list of options and rank them in terms of preference.
What changes you need to do, to go after your dream job? Consider the adjustment period required. If you need to study or learn a new skill, can you study and work at the same time?
Step 6: Rethink your resume
If you are applying for a new job, keep in mind that:
The first applications for a job opening are received 200 seconds after a job is posted
Average time spent looking at a resume is 5-7 seconds
To ensure that your resume stands out and passes the 6 second test, check my previous article on resume templates to get you noticed.
I agree with what folks are saying, and you outline fantastic advice! The other thing that helps is embracing the fact that what you've described requires quite a bit of emotional labor, and that's okay! I say this because I avoided (and avoid) doing some of the steps you describe because it feels like I'm doing my taxes. But if I start by saying, "oh boy, the reason I'm avoiding this is because it feels like it's hard," then I have a better chance of doing the work. :)
The other fun question to ask is (sinceI was ,and am, similar to the question asker - i.e. in a similar situation)..."What can I build? What can I hire myself to make?"
Hi Sophia, love the advise column idea.