True stories to guide your career in the right direction

Question:
“This is a short and simple question: Is it better to accept any job to gain experience or should I wait for my dream job?

Answer:
Here are two true stories that I think can teach us some very valuable lessons.

Case 1:
Carl graduated from university with a finance degree. He loved finances and particularly wanted to work direct with the stock market. However, he was offered a position with a company that instead sold products to the people who worked on the market.

He was also committed to getting his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and this role had less stress than a direct market one, so he decided to take it.

That was 10 years ago. Carl went on to earn his designation but remained very unhappy for two more years with the company.

He got stuck and was being paid just enough to keep him from making a move. It took some serious effort on his part to change but he eventually did.

Today he manages hundreds of millions of dollars on the markets, loves the work, and earns three times what he did before.

Case 2:
Mary earned both her bachelors and masters degree in marketing. Her dream was to find a career in marketing strategy.

Her first job offer was with a world-renowned global company but it was in a marketing and sales role.

She did not like the position but felt that, with her foot in the door with such a great company, she could then move into the marketing strategy department.

That was four years ago. Mary is still with the company and very unhappy. She learned that strategy is based out of another city and she is not prepared to move.

She feels stuck and can’t garner the motivation to change companies.

Moral of the story:
Many imperfect career decisions are made because the person feels that they are at least growing in a certain role.

Next step:
If you access a less than ideal position with some growth potential, set a date in the future one year from now to plan your next move.

Email your questions to: info@Dr-Career.com. Listen to Career FastTrack “Live” Mondays at 5.30 p.m. on CiTR 101.9 FM or online at citr.ca

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