The chapter entitled “Current and Future Position” in our book Time To Get Real! encourages you to reflect on where you currently are in your career and where you are headed. Does the current position you hold reflect your needs? For example, does it enhance your personal strengths and provide development? Does it resonate with your values and is the position fulfilling and in line with your life purpose? Do you feel that you have control over your career and your life?

Over time, you may discover that your personal and professional goals may have shifted, and your career aspirations take on a different path or priority.

A recent article in the Washington Post by Michael Errigo, notes that a trend in recent years is that professional growth is no longer defined mostly by the idea of getting ahead, earning a better title, or upping a salary. Instead, individuals are seeking out more abstract prizes like autonomy, passion, and a sense of purpose.

Errigo writes, “In a recent Washington Post-Ipsos poll, 45 percent of American workers ranked pay as the most important factor in their job — while the rest chose other factors, such as having a good boss, being able to work from home, health and retirement benefits, or whether their work helps society.” In other words, pay is important but, for most people, not the most important aspect of their job.

What People Are Looking for in Their Job

“Professional growth and financial growth aren’t often the same thing,” said David J. Smith, a D.C.-area career coach. “A lot of people … want to feel like their work has meaning and purpose.”

Smith noted that while money is obviously of great importance to people and that financial issues play a key role in his clients’ career decisions (particularly as they relate to the cost of living in the Washington metro area), it is far from the only driver. “They want the money to be able to live in Washington, sure, but they come to me and say what they want is to go to bed at night feeling like they’ve made a difference,” Smith said. “That’s professional growth for a lot of people.”

The issues that trouble workers to begin with are often tied to some kind of physical or emotional burnout. “One of the things I hear most often in my contact form is people saying they are totally emotionally drained by the time they are done working,” said D.C.-area career coach Chrissy Macken. “Other aspects of their life are suffering because after work they are just a grumbly, tired person.”

create a more compatible situation

Each reader of Time To Get Real! will have his or her own needs and potential set of actions. The important thing is not to bury the concerns that you identify, but instead to highlight them, seek advice and assistance where needed, act on those concerns, and attempt to create a more compatible situation for the attainment of your life and career goals. By doing this work, you should be on a path to maximize your current position or move toward your next future position.

If you would like more information about assessing your current position and planning for the right future position, we recommend reading chapter ten of our book Time To Get Real! Getting on a fulfilling career path is one component of the Life and Career Planning Model© featured in the book. This model is the framework for developing your own life and career plan. Should you choose to create your own plan, we suggest that you consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s mission and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. Our coaching fees and services are flexible and meet a broad array of client financial and coaching needs. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.