Career Paradise

Thinking about the joys of winter? Who enjoys the extreme cold, the slush, the transit delays, and the extra bother of winter clothing? On the other hand, the summer has its problems too: broken air conditioners (if you have one, that is), sunburn, mosquitos, lawn maintenance, and fitting into that "shrunken" bathing suit.

It seems whenever we are in summer, we wish for cooler temperatures. When we are in winter, we wish for the warmth of summer. The grass always seems greener on the other side.

Unfortunately, this way of thinking also sneaks into our job. We sometimes think about quitting our job, or our boss, or our company - not because of problems with any of them, but rather because we see the benefits of being elsewhere. We begin to diss what we currently have, and we become cynical as a result.

This type of attitude is easily spotted by interviewers, and will (ironically) prevent you from getting an interview call-back.

Before you consider making a change, thoroughly evaluate the pros and cons of your current situation - and your potential one. For all of the cons that you see at your present workplace, is there any way that they can be mitigated? And for all of the pros at your potential one: how sure are you that they are real - not imagined?

Career planning insight: don't run to - or compare against - a mythical career paradise. While winter may not be your favourite season, there aren't tornadoes, over-sized bugs, or monsoons.

This week's action item: Whether you are thinking of moving on or not, make a list of the things that appealed to you when you first started your current job. Then find a way to recapture each of them.

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Copyright © 2007 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.

Publication Date: March 6, 2007