“I want what you have.” Rich said. “You are building something and love what you do.” Rich was a young attorney in New Haven who realized that the didn’t really like practicing law.
I remember that feeling. I started my career as an attorney. Even hen I was a criminal prosecutor in Philadelphia – my favorite legal job – I had a distinct voice in my head say: “I’m meant to be building people, not breaking them down.” I note that I was in the midst of reviewing an appellate file on a guy who had murdered several people during an armed robbery. The evidence was overwhelming. In other words, I was not wondering whether I was doing something good but rather if I should be going something else,.
Those thoughts grew into mild anxiety about my career path as I worked as a federal prosecutor in Washington, DC. Again, I had no problem seeking justice against white collar criminals. But, I knew this was not my calling. And, when I went into private sector, my anxiety about what I wanted to do grew so much that I wondered if my normally optimistic upbeat demeanor was vanishing.
When I committed myself to becoming an education-entrepreneur, my career seeking anxiety disappeared. Sure, I still had flashes of anxiety about building a business, money, and all that comes with entrepreneurship but I also had a great deal of joy related to building my career.
When I started Career Counseling Connecticut, I realized that I was almost messianic in my zeal to get others to find a career they love. I wanted everyone to escape the anxiety and experience joy. “It doesn’t have to be that way.” I would tell clients. ” You don’t have to be anxious about your career. You can be joyfully building it instead.”
I’ve tempered my unbridled enthusiasm a bit as I realize that “I know” it can be done because I did it. My career counseling clients don’t really know because they are still seeking.
I know we can provide career guidance in these situations because we have done so for years and I know the alternatives for helping with career anxiety are very good.