Career Change-taking Stock Of Your Life

When it comes to making important decisions in your life-especially one as important as making a career change-it's important to know yourself inside and out. The best way to do that is to stop and take stock of your life.

* What do you have going for yourself?
* What do you have working against you?
* Where are you at in your life right now in comparison to where you want to be?

When taking stock of your life, it's important to not only look at the present, but also the past. Who you were ten years ago may not be who you are today. A lot may have changed when you compare your present with your past. But there are things from your past that may overlap with your present life. Such things include your strengths, personality, experience and education.

It's also important to take an honest look at any personal flaws or weaknesses you have that could be holding you back in life. Doing so will help you gain a better perspective when it comes to where to go from here in your job and/or career.

Here are a few ideas when it comes to things to look at when it comes to your life and career.

* Strengths: Positive aspects that are under your control that you may be able to capitalize on when it comes to planning for a new career.

* Weaknesses: Negative aspects that are under your control that you may need to improve upon when it comes to planning for a new career.

* Opportunities: Positive external conditions that you do not control but can take advantage of when it comes to planning for a new career.

* Threats: Negative external conditions that you do not control but might be able to decrease or eliminate when it comes to planning for a new career.

Explore your own self-perception of your strengths, but also put yourself inside a prospective employer's head as you consider your strong points. Avoid false modesty, but also be brutally honest and realistic with yourself.

In assessing your weaknesses, think about what prospective employers might consider to be the areas you could improve upon. Facing your frailties now can give you a huge head start in career planning.

As human beings, we find it relatively difficult to identify the areas where we are weak. But this assessment helps to identify areas where we may need to improve. If you identify a skill that you know is in your chosen field, but you are weak in that skill area, you need to take steps to improve that skill. Past performance appraisals and even your grades and teacher comments from school provide valuable feedback.

By taking stock of your life, you can gain a clearer perspective of where to go from here. You can take this information and use it as a road map that can help you take advantage of opportunities and avoid or lessen certain challenges you may face as you start the journey down your new career path.