What If the Career Path I’m on Isn’t a Good Fit for Me

Let’s say you’re a couple years into your career and you’re at the point where you’re thinking about what’s next. 

Do you go into a management role or get trained to become more skilled at your position? What if you’ve gotten a chance to observe what a management role, or whatever the next step is for you, looks like and you’re thinking, “I don’t know if that’s what I want to do…”

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Here at Scouted, we totally understand that sometimes jobs don’t turn out the way we thought they would. Or career paths, for that matter. 

So what should you do if you’re on a career path that’s not a great fit for you?

Find out what you want to do

The obvious first step would be to figure out what you DO want to do. Are there other departments within your company that you’ve taken an interest in? Or a hobby that you’ve always wanted to develop?

Not to toot our own horn, but here at Scouted, we’re actually pretty good at looking at a candidate’s talents and preferences and thinking of what jobs they may be great at. And depending on the career path you’ve been on thus far, it may be something you haven’t even thought of yet! This is actually a big part of our founding story, if you’d like to read more about that, click here.

But – if you prefer to go it alone – try talking with some friends and family about industries and roles they work in. Maybe even take one of your lunch breaks to visit a friend a their work and see what it looks like from the inside.

Also read: A Day in the Life of a Sales Development Representative

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Get training and experience

Once you get a bearing on the role you’d like to have, it’s time to get some experience. Some industries and roles will be easier to get experience in than others. If you’re looking to get into something like web development, advertising and marketing, or even sales, there are many online courses that offer training in those areas. A next step would be to start offering your newly learned expertise to friends or family or freelance clients to get some real-world experience under your belt. 

However, if you’re hoping to enter the world of finance, getting experience might be a little more challenging. If you’re able, snagging an internship or entry level job that promises learning opportunities could be a great chance for you to enter into a brand new role. This might mean taking a pay cut for now, but if it contributes to your overall happiness and career aspirations, it might be a worthy sacrifice.

Also read: When You Should Apply for a Job Even If You Don’t Meet the Minimum Requirements

Cross-check your skills with other roles

You never know when a new type of role may ask for the exact skills you come with.

These days, not all titles and roles  are created equally and while one Operations Associate job might look one way, the same role at a different company or even in a different department might look completely different. Instead of focusing on titles, try to filter through job descriptions that ask for skills that you can bring to the table, all while pointing you in the direction of the career you wish to pursue. 

If possible, stay within your company

High turnover is a real problem in virtually every industry and managers are working harder than ever to keep they employees they currently have. It’s expensive and time consuming to replace good employees!

That being the case, you might not have to start from scratch when choosing to pursue a different career. Instead, think about having an open and honest conversation with your manager about transferring to a different department or at the very least, learning new skills that you’re passionate about. 

Here at Scouted, we’ve started implementing regular development meetings that help our team gauge morale among our employees. We also use them to look for ways to be continuously growing into our positions as our company grows. While startups do offer lots of learning opportunities, larger companies also often have the resources available to educate and train employees in new and valuable areas. It doesn’t hurt to ask! You never know, the start of a new career path might be a lot closer than you think.