Getting clarity in your career

Calypso Barnum-Bobb is a self-discovery coach who helps people express their most authentic selves so they can create lives they’re truly obsessed with. 

She’s also our resident Jobs Lead and curates career opportunities that our community will love on The Know Jobs Board, designed to help you find your next purpose-driven role. 

This piece is part of a new series by Calypso which is all about helping you level up in your career and work out the path that’s right for you.

In my work, many people come to me feeling lost about what the next steps in their life or career should look like. They know that what they’re currently doing isn’t working but they can’t figure out what to do instead.

This feeling is so normal and is a good thing - there are so many more options out there! But we still put pressure on ourselves to stick with the same thing even if it’s not clicking.

Working out whether you might be better suited to another career path is a brave and positive move - but it can often be hard to know how to begin. Here are my four tips for getting career-based clarity:

Carve out space and time

Often, once we decide we’re unhappy in our career we immediately go on the lookout for answers about what to do next. At the same time, many of us fill our days with work and social commitments, meaning that we don’t give ourselves a second to really stop and think.

People feeling burnt out and unhappy at work are likely to struggle to come up with ideas and inspiration for what it is that they really want to do next. Giving yourself that time and space is therefore crucial but it’s not always easy - especially if you’re looking to change careers precisely because you feel overworked. 

Blocking out an evening or a weekend - where you’re able to experiment and let the inspiration flow - is a key first step to getting clarity on what it is that you really want to do.

Shut your laptop - and stop googling

Googling “what can I do with these qualifications?” will definitely not give you the answers, and you’ll probably end up pigeonholing yourself into what the internet says you can do rather than what you actually want to do.

Too much time spent researching careers online means you’re not giving yourself space to discover new things. 

This was certainly the case for me. I started out as a fashion buyer, and when I knew that I wanted to change roles I only looked within the fashion industry. But when I shut my laptop and went to an event where a confidence coach was speaking, I had a lightbulb moment - it made me realise “this is what I want to do”.

Broadening your horizons can take you down a totally unexpected path. Which brings me to my next tip…

Let yourself experiment and test drive

Give yourself permission to not know what you want to do - and trial things out instead.

If, for example, you’re working in healthcare but are really into sports, spend more time doing those activities and chatting to people you meet along the way. If you work in marketing but are interested in tech, check out a workshop or panel discussion. 

By experimenting, having fun and putting yourself out there, you can start to act on your desire to change - without putting pressure on yourself to apply for a new job straight away.

You don’t have to do it on your own

You don’t have to have all the answers - and working with a coach or accountability partner can be a great way to get clarity. Our friends and family, although well-intentioned, can often constrict our view of the options out there because they want safety or stability for us.

But, really, we need to bring new people into our lives who will help us be open to new avenues and adventures, and can show us the possibilities that change can bring.

No matter what you’re wanting clarity on - whether it’s your career, relationship, friendships or whether to travel or not to travel - these are great steps to follow.

If you can create space, experience new things and broaden your horizons, it’ll be much easier to figure out what you really want to do with your life.

If you’re looking to kickstart your career or move roles, check out our Jobs Board. And you can find plenty more advice like this from Calypso on Instagram.