I'm stuck not knowing what next step to take in my career--I haven't ever loved my job, and I lost my job due to Covid.

Mystery Woman

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Anonymous

02/01/21 at 4:08AM UTC

I'm stuck not knowing what next step to take in my career--I haven't ever loved my job, and I lost my job due to Covid.

But now I am at a crossroads and I don't know what's next or how to figure it out. I do NOT want an office/desk job, I have had several different ones and they aren't for me. The jobs I have thrived in have been ones where I was not in an office setting (ie Personal Assistant, House Manager, traveling companion, etc). I have taken all the personality and career assessments out there, and they have all come back with underwhelming and unhelpful ideas. Anyone out there have ideas on what I could do next? Something creative with flexibility and often need for problem-solving is where I thrive... #pleasehelp

13 Comments

Anonymous

02/01/21 at 4:28AM UTC

Networking in the creative fields such as writers, artists, producers in film, television etc. Workung for agencies that represent artists. These are professions that look for dedicated assistants that are available for non-traditional positions involving strange hours, travel and work that is not a traditional assistants duties. These jobs require you to immerse yourself in a creative environment that is the opposite of a desk/office job. Many of these positions start out as temporary positions working in event planning. I know many galleries and film festivals hire temp workers to help plan and host events and once you get to network in these fields you will naturally find out about opportunities as they come available.

User edited comment on 02/01/21 at 4:33AM UTC

Anonymous

02/01/21 at 4:30AM UTC

Thank you!! This is incredibly helpful and I hadn't considered some of these ideas. I appreciate your response!

User edited comment on 02/01/21 at 4:30AM UTC

Jody Campos

Future Psychologist from the Philippines

02/01/21 at 7:53AM UTC

Be sure to update your portfolio or CV and make accounts on online job networks such as linkedin or Upwork. Try browsing also from time to time, maybe you'd find a random project based job that would fit your preference :) this would give you a part time job but still enough flexibility to look for a more stable one :)

Ashley DelBello

Life+Career+Purpose Coach

02/02/21 at 10:43PM UTC

Definitely agree with networking - and networking in the creative field or any field that you find fascinating as you can just ask for 15-minute conversations with these people to pick their brains and find out how they got started in their career choice and/or to inquire about the different types of roles, positions out there. Another fun way to approach this and to get ideas flowing is brainstorming around your Ikigai (what you love, what the world needs, what you can get paid for and what you're good at). Start brainstorming around those topics and see what overlaps and then try to find something that fits within that (and/or create a role that incorporates your Ikigai!). Here are some articles that explain Ikigai in depth: https://medium.com/better-humans/the-japanese-concept-ikigai-is-a-formula-for-happiness-and-meaning-8e497e5afa99 https://www.cyberclick.net/numericalblogen/ikigai-4-questions-to-begin-your-practice-of-the-japanese-philosophy-on-life-fulfillment Good luck!!!

1 Reply

claire

02/03/21 at 1:08AM UTC

Thank you, Ashley! I haven't heard of Ikigai, but it sounds fascinating and I'm going to dig more into it!

1 Reply

Ashley DelBello

Life+Career+Purpose Coach

02/03/21 at 2:46AM UTC

No problem! Feel free to reach out with any questions! I have a workbook I can send you with more info + questions to ask yourself/reflect on as well if you’re interested.

Jessica Parker, PMP

♦ Technology Leader ♦ Author ♦ Entrepreneur ♦

02/02/21 at 11:28PM UTC

Have you considered working as a virtual assistant? Or maybe even starting your own business?

1 Reply

claire

02/03/21 at 1:10AM UTC

Hi! I have thought about starting my own business, just not sure what I have to offer people...meaning I'm not sure what business to start or where to begin with how I can market myself or my skillsets. Any advice on how to figure that out?

1 Reply

Jessica Parker, PMP

♦ Technology Leader ♦ Author ♦ Entrepreneur ♦

02/03/21 at 11:47PM UTC

Reach out to your local SCORE chapter and ask for a free mentor. Talk to friends to see what expertise they see you having - sometimes we are too close to our own skills to see them as special.

Kelli

1.3k

I help you go from STUCK TO FULFILLED

02/03/21 at 1:02AM UTC

Yes!! Look at this as an opportunity. It’s time to do some set-discovery - beyond personality tests. I have some resources over at mindsetmamas.com that will be helpful for you.

claire

02/03/21 at 1:10AM UTC

Thank you, Kelli! I will check this site out, I appreciate the resources!

Kristen Wavle

Private School Counselor in Baltimore

02/08/21 at 1:21PM UTC

You could also consider temping to see if there is anything that sparks joy. The agency should be able to meet your requests for jobs that are not traditional office positions. I would also suggest taking a character traits survey (viacharacter.org has a great one) that might give you some information about you as a person. Use that information to guide your job search!

Sarah Bartley

106

Front-end Web Developer & Content Creator

02/08/21 at 7:40PM UTC

What are some of the things you are interested in? When I was in a situation similar to yours, I did the flower exercise from What Color is Your Parachute. In this exercise, I made lists of things I was interested in, skills, things I didn't want in my next role, and more. Once I made these lists, then I just started doing research to see what roles had a combination of some of the most important items on these lists. This was looking at different job websites to networking.