I live on a cul-de-sac and love the closeness of our neighbors and the opportunity for small children to play safely in their front yard. But cul-de-sac careers are a dangerous place to be. So what’s the difference? Cul-de-sac is a French word meaning “dead end.” I would call a cul-de-sac career a job where you work hard but often, due to circumstances beyond your control, nothing is happening to progress your career goals or you realize you have chosen a career in decline. A cul-de-sac career does not align with your purpose. If this might sound like your work situation, you could be stuck in the middle of a cul-de-sac career.
I know for many of you, when you have a job during a recession, you work hard to keep it and starting a job search is the last thing on your mind. The great recession of the past decade took a major toll on many families who lost the income of their main breadwinner. But in 2018 the economy is improving fast. The economy is booming, unemployment is near a record low and the new tax cuts are propelling many companies to expand. But even in much better times, if you are investing your best years in an industry without a positive future, start asking yourself what’s my next step? First, don’t quit your day job. You are far more employable when you are working. What you should do is start the process of evaluating your options and seek out the best career advice you can find. Remember the words of King Solomon when he said this in Proverbs, “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.” Proverbs 11:14.
Finding a job at any point in life requires making educated choices. Before you ever start assessing other job opportunities you need to know what is happening in your field of expertise. Is your industry flourishing, what is the projected growth of your career over the next ten years? But you may be saying, no one knows what will happen in ten years! Well guess what, the Department of Labor makes it their business to research that very question. Both Federal and State governments do ongoing research of every civilian job in our great nation. If you don’t have this information, you are not ready to begin your new job search. But take heart, we can help you.
Careers With A Purpose is a non-profit ministry offering faith-based career coaching. We have operated on a national basis for nine years and have worked with over 2000 coaching clients in the US and Canada. We work with many job search clients, from high school students to baby boomers planning the next chapter of their careers. In every discussion, we use the latest government research in forming a job search strategy to find a job and career consistent with your life purpose. Remember Solomon’s quote “Without good direction, people lose their way: the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.”
Check us out today at www.careerswithapurpose.org. We will be glad to discuss how we can help you in your career search. God wants only the very best for you.