Life goes on.
I realize that there are a variety of memes zipping through Facebook about “just getting by”. I understand. I really do. I don’t mean to be harsh. But the words of my late Grandmother who survived The Great Depression, World War II, being widowed in her 50s, among other challenges, come to mind: “keep your chin up and keep marching forward”. She would tell me this often during my career struggles a couple of decades ago.
The Coronavirus crisis will end. But your career won’t. Here are some of the career strategies that Career Counseling Connecticut is working upon with our clients.
1. Reflection
We have time to reflect/ponder/contemplate all the big picture questions that usually most people think they are too busy to consider. Our career counseling clients often “reflect” through discussions with us, Regardless, go for some walks and think about what you want from your career.
2. Research
Spend a minimum of 20 minutes a day reading about different career paths, exploring actual jobs, and learning whatever it is that will be useful on your career journey.
3. Strategize
Perhaps this is where we have been the most effective for our career counseling clients. We are helping build job seeking plans that our clients will put into action whenever this crisis abates.
4. Network
While this will be more limited since the networking will be virtual, some e-mails and phone calls will likely be more welcomed than pre-crisis since few are busy.
5. Create Career Plan for Optimal Work
6. Create Career Plan for Steady Work
7. Create Career Plan for Paying The Bills
When I work with our career counseling clients, I am very clear that I am a pragmatic idealist. Specifically, I solve problems in the real world while trying to make my clients have the happiest and most successful careers possible. This is different than pie in the sky approaches to “find your passion” and it’s different than those who simply suggest the most practical option. There is a happy medium. For that reason, we often work on all three plans simultaneously