Three Realizations from my Career Journey
Posted on June 25, 2019 by Shalini Neelakantan, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
A quote from Steve Jobs says, "The only way to do great work is to love what you do". But what if you don't know what you would love to do..what then?
If only I knew what my interests or passions were… Or if I had all the resources to follow my passion as a profession… Or if only I knew what I am good at… are some of the statements that we ponder over time and again. Sometimes we find ourselves facing a wall rather than a career path.
Very likely you’ve jumped into a career that first presented itself to you. For some of you that was a great fit. For some of you, it cramped your style or made you feel like a misfit.
I began my career journey over 15 years ago as a Recruitment Consultant. My job involved a lot of cold calling. And frankly I hated it. Over time I saw people excel in the job and wondered how they did it. Only to realize that each of us is different. Different sets of passions, different sets of skills.
From a recruitment consultant, I jumped to being a Management Lecturer. (I use the word ‘jump’ because that’s precisely what I did. Jumped into whatever came my way.) Being someone with absolutely no pubic speaking skills at the age of 23, I expected to be a disaster but guess what? I wasn’t. Something about teaching appealed to me. I enjoyed my teaching and my students, and my students enjoyed my classes (or so I was made to believe :)). We shared a great rapport. And that created in me a love for the profession and helped me develop every skill that I actually did not possess but needed to! I gradually entered the Corporate field of Learning and Development, and enjoyed over 12 years of a creative social journey. Yes, it’s had its highs and lows, but like I always find myself saying – Teaching, Training and Coaching is what I love to do and can do – I literally would be lost without it.
I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t taken up that first teaching job. What if I had got an accountants job instead? Would I have lost my true field of passion or would I have realized another? We don’t know, do we? And that’s precisely the point. We don’t know.
Let me share with you three things I have realized through my journey. And maybe you’d like to share yours…
1. Passion need not be the starting point in your career exploration:
You don’t need to start your career in your area of passion. You can very well find your passion along the way. So, don’t wait to find a job you are passionate about.
2. Find a job that hones your skills:
If you are unsure of what your work interests are, focus on your skills – skills you have and skills you would like to develop. I was always petrified of standing in front of crowds and speaking. I would finish a 10-minute presentation in 1 minute. But because I couldn’t do something, I really wanted to do it. And wanted to excel at it. After 15 years now, it’s hard for you to get me to stop talking :)
3. Build strong self-awareness skills:
There is a reason that self-awareness is a critical reflection of one’s emotional intelligence. Any personal change or development begins with self-awareness. Being aware of what you really enjoy doing, even when you really don’t like the job you do is going to help you a great deal to identify and pursue your passion. At the age of 23, my EI must have been zilch! When I began working as Recruitment Consultant, while I hated the job, I really enjoyed training new comers. I made nothing of it in my 23 year old head. But in hindsight, I realize that as much as I loved training, I also enjoyed working with people directly in their development process. Don’t miss small cues like this.
Don’t ever think you are going nowhere. There is a somewhere even in that nowhere. If you are self aware you will find that spot.
