đ Want to finally decide on a career?
Why keeping your options open isn't a good long-term plan
Ever heard of the Netflix Effect? âŹď¸
Choice, paradoxically, produces paralysis, rather than liberation. With so many options to choose from, people find it difficult to choose at all.
Did you know the same principle applies to deciding a career path?
Weâll often delay committing to a career becauseâweâre overwhelmed by all our options and ultimately, afraid of making the wrong decision.
Hear us outâit is normal for students to be unsure of what career they want. Itâs true that you donât have to have it figured out.
But, weâd like to push you a littleâbecause there are some serious benefits to making the choice. And weâre breaking them down for you this week.
1. Itâll keep you from clout chasing
When we donât have a goal we made for ourselves, we often fall back onto what we think will impress others.
But the allure of prestige fades quickly. đ
If we fall into a career just for the clout weâll end up in careers that frustrate and leave us unfulfilled.
There are positions that sound sexy and glamorous (cough coughâProduct Manager) but when you break down the day-to-day tasks of it you might discover it isnât a good fit for you.
So do some personal deep dives and pursue a career with quality of life in mindânot prestige.
2. Youâll dive deeper than ever before
Keeping your options open sounds like a smart strategy.
And it can be for some seasons of your life.
But when you habitually avoid commitment to retain your âoptionsâ youâll end up with less career value.
You have a limited source of energyâand when you spread it over many things youâll remain on a surface level.
But if you take the risk to commit to somethingâyour energy gets targeted towards a single goal, leading you on a path of expertise that will generate greater value.
3. Donât worryâthere is no risk to deciding now
What if I change my mind in the future? What if I end up not liking my decision?
What ifâŚ
Stopârelax. You can totally still pivot to something else in the future.
Actually, it might just help you do so.
Because targeting your efforts towards something makes you more likely to generate high-quality skills and experiences than someone who isnât.
For example: If you have long-time career in sales, but decide you want a job in HR - you're able to transfer the communication and empathy skills to a completely different role in human resources.
Our gift to help you on your career journey đ
PDF: Career Exploration Workbook
PDF: Personality and Values Workbook
Article: How Enneagram could be a helpful tool in career decision
Hey, we found some internships for you đÂ
PRODUCT
Student Product Engagement, The College Board
New Product Definition, Power Integrations
Product Insights, Recorded Future
MARKETING
Social Media Strategist, fluent360
SALES & PARTNERSHIPS
Sales Operations, Creator Deck
Sales Operations, Teal Communications
COMMUNICATIONS
Internal Communications, Facebook
Internal Communications, Houzz
Internal Communications, Digital Story Telling, EllucianÂ
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Written by Jacqueline Mastrelli