Career clarity is essential for a fulfilling and successful professional life. Yet, many executives and professionals find themselves uncertain, stuck, or unfulfilled in their current roles. Do you feel aligned with your career path, or are you still trying to figure out what you truly want?
In this episode, you will learn why career clarity is critical and how to overcome common obstacles professionals face when lacking a clear career vision. Our host and CEO, Porschia, leverages over a decade of coaching expertise to guide you through key strategies for gaining clarity and making empowered career decisions.
Porschia shares practical insights into self-discovery techniques, including career assessments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Strong Interest Inventory, and CliftonStrengths. You’ll also discover the importance of experimenting through freelancing, volunteering, or consulting to gain first-hand experience. Additionally, this episode emphasizes actionable steps such as informational interviews, networking, and career coaching to help you confidently navigate your professional journey.
What you’ll learn:
- What career clarity is and why it’s crucial for your professional fulfillment
- The major consequences of lacking career clarity, including wasted time, burnout, and missed opportunities
- Essential strategies for effective career exploration and self-discovery
- 4 key factors to prioritize in your career, so you make the best decisions
- Practical actions to increase your career clarity, including networking and informational interviewing
- How career assessments like MBTI, Strong Interest Inventory, and CliftonStrengths can guide your professional decisions
As a thank you for listening to this episode of the Career 101 Podcast, we are sharing our FREE master class – Career 911: Solving the Top 5 Challenges Executives and Professionals Have! It’s a training based on solving the common problems our clients have experienced to reach their goals. You can get access to the master class here!
Resources:
- Episode Transcript
Finding Career Clarity
Today, we’re diving into an essential topic—finding clarity in your career path. If you’ve ever felt stuck, uncertain, or frustrated with where you’re headed, you’re not alone. I’ve been a coach for over 10 years and It’s not uncommon for people who’ve worked in jobs for 10, 20, or even 30 years to Tell me That They don’t like what they’re doing. Or they tell me that they’re unfulfilled with their career path and they literally just fell into it. A lot of times I hear people say that they were just the best person on their team, in their department or in their company to do a specific role, so they just got stuck there. They were pigeonholed In that position, and it’s not even what they like to do. I often hear people tell me that the job they’re in is emotionally or mentally draining for them. And I also hear a lot of people say, you know what? They never just figured out what they want to be when they grow up.
Without direction, professionals can waste valuable time, energy, and money pursuing jobs that don’t align with their goals or values. So today, we’ll explore why career clarity is critical, the risks of not having it, and actionable steps to gain the clarity you need to move forward with confidence.
To start, I want to touch on the major consequences of lacking career clarity.*
1st. There is.- **Wasted Time & Money:** When you lack a clear direction, you may end up in roles that don’t fulfill you, causing frequent job changes, additional schooling that isn’t necessary, or investments in certifications that don’t align with your long-term vision. We have quite a few podcast episodes about attaining additional higher education. You can check out 31 are Masters Degrees Worth it and Episode 59 Should I get a PhD?
2nd can lead to.**Burnout & Dissatisfaction:** A misaligned career leads to stress and disengagement. When work lacks purpose, motivation drops, and burnout becomes more likely. Those of you who listen to the show regularly, you know. That I have experienced my own battles with burnout. And see it with the majority of our clients. For more details I encourage you to check out episode 48, Burnout in the Workplace. Episode. 84 on the stages of burnout.
Finally, a lack of career clarity can lead to.**Missed Opportunities:** Without a clear career vision, you may pass up opportunities that align with your true interests and strengths simply because you haven’t identified them Or you’re chasing Money, status or Someone else’s vision for you.
I don’t think many people understand.**The Power of Career Exploration:** I used to have a one-on-one coaching program called From Dream Job to Career Reality. I would work with clients for three months or six months and we would go through a deep career exploration process. As our business has grown, I don’t do As much one-on-one coaching. However, I Made that program into an on-demand course That is in our Brave Bird Career Alliance membership. I think this is one of the most important courses in the membership for our clients. That’s because Most people are never taught or told how to Find clarity in their career, And turn that Into a reality in their life. I’m going to touch on some of the key aspects Of the From dream job to Career reality course In this episode. And of course, if You Want to get Even more clarity on your career, Then you can join the membership, And take that full course. You’d also have access to Other career and business courses that might be helpful to you too.
When it comes to career clarity.- Self-discovery is key. Take the time to reflect on your values, strengths, and interests. Consider assessments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory, or Clifton Strengths to gain more insights. Back in episode 90, I discussed understanding your personality With the Myers Briggs type indicator. Or the MBTI assessment for short. Utilizing career coaching sessions a professional coach. Can also help you.to gain deeper insights.
You can also.- Experiment with different roles through freelancing, consulting, or volunteering in areas that intrigue you. What have you always wanted to try out? Who could you reach out to and find more information?
– Setting career goals that align with both your professional aspirations and personal lifestyle needs is something. Significant. To do. In episode 76, we talked more about goal setting in your career.
Now, I want to talk about something that I think people completely overlook.**Prioritizing Key Factors in Your Career:** I find that most people have a cloudy vision of what they want, however, they haven’t Done Deep exploratory work to really flush out The details. This step Is literally the difference between success and failure. Here are 4 Key Factors to consider in your career:
– **Values Alignment:** What matters most to you—work-life balance, financial stability, impact, autonomy, or innovation?
– **Skills & Interests:** Identify your unique skills and ensure they align with your career choices.
– **Long-Term Growth:** Look at industries and roles that offer stability and opportunities for advancement. This is extremely important because as we think about disruption in industries., technological advancements, and AI. You want to Predict Where different career paths could lead In the next Five to 10 years. For those of you who are day one listeners of the podcast, you know that I think of your career as a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Which were popular When I was a kid.
Finally, I want to touch on. The importance of.**Research & Networking for Clarity:**
– I encourage clients to Conduct informational interviews with professionals in your target field to understand real-world insights. We give you the rundown on informational interviews in Episode 82.
– Attend industry events and networking sessions to explore new opportunities and trends. I know that depending on your personality, networking. Might seem a little scary. We talk about networking for career success and Episode 52.
– Everything is changing so fast nowadays. It’s hard for even industry experts to keep up. I recommend that you. Follow thought leaders Online And listen to podcasts to stay updated on industry news, and refine your understanding of different career paths.
-I also think that You should Consider working with a career coach to gain professional guidance tailored to your situation.
Gaining career clarity isn’t an overnight process, but taking intentional steps can save you years of frustration and put you on a path toward fulfillment and success. If today’s episode resonated with you, I encourage you to take action—start with self-reflection, prioritize what matters most, and engage in research and networking.
If you found this episode valuable, be sure to subscribe and share it with a colleague who might need this message. For more insights and resources, visit fly-highcoaching.com. Until next time, take charge of your career with clarity and confidence!
