The career plateau
You have curated a successful career. You are making the salary that at one point you could not even imagine. You are content with where you are in your career. Everyone around you expresses their joy and even admiration for your success. Yet here you are, feeling like you are stuck. The view is great, the trappings are nice, welcome to the career plateau.
Many of us have curated a career and life that was based on the script handed to us by our parents and those we admired. We pursued degrees and jobs that exceeded the expectations of the script and now we are dumbfounded to discover that it's not enough. There may be a lack of joy, passion, or interest in your career and all of these things are completely normal. There are always options on the career plateau, the two that are most common require shaking things up. You can work on self discovery to identify what you can add to your life to reignite your passion and joy. Or you can set out to find something new altogether.
Your self discovery may very likely lead you to activities that leverage skills from your current career. This is an indicator that you have chosen a career that you are passionate about, you simply have lost the spark. The activities you choose in the case may include volunteering your time to help others on their journey. This can range from mentoring to community service. Pursue the opportunities that stretch you a bit and force you to change your perspective. Think beyond your local surroundings if you are having a difficult time finding something that calls you to take immediate action. My advice is to think globally, but only you truly know your comfort level. Even then, stretch just a bit more.
If you find that the activities you are drawn to are mostly unrelated to your current career, it's important take note as this is a clear indicator that your career is not aligned with the work you are most passionate about. That may be totally fine, as many people like to keep their work separate from their life. If this discovery is not okay with you, then you may decide it's time to change things up with your career. Look for ways to get involved with projects that are not directly tied to your career. Work with other departments at your company, explore internal opportunities, or consider volunteering your time in a way that will reawaken your passion.
What if your self discovery leads you to realize that it's time for something new? That's great, at least now you have direction. From the start create as much clarity as possible about what the next opportunity will be. Get specific on the items that are most important to you. Consider salary, location, company culture, entrepreneurship, etc. Network to understand what else is out there that will allow you to expand on your current success. Many times we are doing the same work for so long that we lose the ability to see beyond our limited exposure to the possibilities that are available. I would say the same for the company you have chosen to work for. It's very likely that your comfort is the exact reason you are perched on the career plateau.
Use the momentum you have from your current success to propel you into your next opportunity. Keep in mind, this does not mean that you have to look for a position that is the same as what you are currently doing. That may be the ideal choice for some, but not all. Leverage your transferrable skills to align your experience with your next opportunity. Use your list of requirements to begin your search. Challenge yourself to really scrutinize your choices. What do you really want to learn? What type of problems do you actually want to solve? Don't settle for more of the same, you've already found success in that.
Each person is motivated by different factors. Naming your motivators will allow you to be more decisive while curating your career. Discernment will light the path off of the career plateau.
*Written in the chair on an overcast day in October.