How to Find the Right Career Path

Hey there, it’s me, your coach Nina, how are you today? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the exciting but vast possibilities in your career? Society, your parents, friends, strangers on social media, and even your own expectations have all been suggesting paths you “should” take professionally. If you're intellectually curious and enjoy learning, you likely have a strong drive to grow already. You might already have some ideas about where you want to go and how to get there. However, with endless possibilities and only 24 hours in a day, it's important to have a focused and sustainable approach to your career development, one that prevents overwhelm and burnout. Here are some strategies to consider: 1️⃣ List out your career goals: What do you really want in your career? Is it money, title, creative freedom, influence, fame, or making an impact? In my early career I wanted to get promoted because the society says so, but after a few years I started to optimize for learning new experiences (hence jumping from corporate to startup to stand up a new team.) 2️⃣ Figure out your why: understand why you want to achieve something adds meaning and boosts motivation. Are you aiming for FIRE (financial independence to retire early), seeking respect as a manager, or craving intellectual exploration? 3️⃣ Define success: know your destination helps you figure out what resources or skills you need to get there. For instance, aspiring to be a people manager might require learning how to inspire others. 4️⃣ Identify the resources you need: Just like planning a trip, you need to know what to pack for your career journey. Determine the skills or knowledge necessary for your dream role. 5️⃣ Choose how to learn: Different people prefer different learning methods—reading, visual cues, podcasts, or hands-on experience. Find what works best for you and experiment if you're unsure. 6️⃣ Practice: Apply your new skills whenever possible. Shadow others, volunteer for projects, and actively develop the competencies you need. 7️⃣ Reflect regularly: Set a monthly reminder to assess your progress and adjust your strategies if needed. 8️⃣ Seek accountability: Remember the saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." Find a mentor, friend, or a coach friend to support and hold you accountable. What strategies have you used or would you recommend to feel less overwhelmed and more empowered in your career growth? #careerdevelopment #professionaldevelopment #midcareer

**WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT OUR CAREERS FROM AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT: 3 TIPS TO OWN IT IN 2024** There is an Italian restaurant in Lisbon where you will never find a menu. It’s a unique experience! 🤔🍝 You will go in, seat and they will ask you if you have any food restrictions. Afterwards you will wait and they will serve whatever they feel like it’s the right meal for you. 👀 The restaurant cooks using fresh ingredients only and usually has 4 different options that they randomly assign to people. Why am I telling you about this restaurant? Yes I had a great time there but the reason is a bit different - this is the perfect analogy for what we do in our careers. And while it is cool to experience when going out for dinner it may not be that funny when we apply that to our careers. We join our companies and we wait for someone (either our managers, HR) to “serve us” what they believe is the right “meal” (career path) for us. 👉It is interesting that we spend 60% of our time working but we allow someone to decided what we should do during that time (more than half of our lives, according to Forbes) 👈. The first important thing to understand and shift is the idea that companies have the responsibility and even power to decide our next step. The second is that we have to accept what seems to be “the right thing to do next”. None of these is true. Sharing 3 Lessons Learned and tips on how to own your career and avoid not being the one picking YOUR option from the menu: #1 Schedule regular career conversations with your manager 🗓️. I will share more on how to build a personal and professional development plan but ask for their help to start understanding what the options are, what are the skills you need to develop to take you to the next level within the company and who are the right stakeholders that can guide you on this. Asking for their help will also help you get their buy in! #2 Ask people about their own experiences. Ask them how they decided which step to take and sometimes you will realize that some decisions are more a stepping stone rather than a final career decision. No one has it all figured it out. Allow yourself to make mistakes and make them as early as possible as they trade-off is lower! 🕸️ #3 Take time to think about your decisions🧘🏻♀️. Add a slot to your calendar on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. Career is not something that happens to us. But you need to give yourself time to gather information, reflect and consider the pros and cons on the “menu”. #Extra: sometimes the menu does not include anything that feels right for you. Who knows if it’s time to build a menu from scratch? 🚀✨ Happy Wednesday! 🌞

➡️ After countless interviews and months of searching, I realized my passion wasn’t just about hiring great people—it’s about helping them grow and supporting businesses in creating environments where employees can thrive. And for the first time in this search, I felt excited to explore opportunities that truly light me up. 🌟Huge shout out to Ama La Vida and my awesome career coach Maggie Breitenbach for helping me through all this🌟 Sometimes, we hold onto jobs or careers because they’re all we know. But there’s a lot of value in taking a step back to ask: Is this still the right path for me? If you’re feeling stagnant, here are some ways that I’ve taken back control of my career: ✅ Assess What’s Working (and What’s Not) Are you genuinely excited about the roles you’re applying to, or are you just chasing what’s familiar? Look at where your energy goes—if certain conversations or tasks light you up more than others, there might be a clue there. Trust your gut! ✅ Strengthen Your Learning Muscle Job pivots don’t always mean starting over. Leverage online courses like LinkedIn Learning, find in-person networking groups, or engage with professionals in a new field to get an insider’s perspective. ✅ Make Self-Reflection a Constant Sometimes, the biggest career roadblocks aren’t external—they’re internal. Fear of change, imposter syndrome, or uncertainty about what’s next can keep us stuck. Taking time to reflect (or working with a coach!) can help you move forward with more confidence. 💡The takeaway? Your career is yours to shape. If the old path isn’t leading anywhere, don’t be afraid to explore a new one. You might be surprised by what you find. #careerpivot #careertransition #jobsearch #careercoach

If you’re feeling stuck in your high-paying yet wildly unfulfilling career, you're not alone. (hello fellow consultants!) I had a quarter-life crisis when I realized I had no desire to get promoted anymore 😮 It took me 10 months to make a big career pivot from consulting to startups... I wrote up 6 steps to get career clarity I wouldn’t miss if I had to do it all again. Before you dive in, remember: ✨ Self-awareness is the starting point for all personal growth. ✨ Ask yourself the hard questions and be honest about the answers. If you don’t take time to get clear on what YOU want, you let everyone else dictate what THEY want. You don’t want to end up working for someone else’s dream, do you? Here are 6 steps to get clear on the work you want and what needs to change: 1) Take an inventory of your current state 2) Assess your strengths and weaknesses 3) Discover your curiosities 4) Reflect on your values 5) Imagine the future 6) Get real about the gap Then, build a plan of action to close that gap & START EXECUTING ON IT. When you're feeling stuck → Get clarity before diving head first into a job search. You’ll save yourself years of pursuing the wrong path & months of ineffective job searching. P.S. There are likely people in your network feeling stuck in their career right now, not sure what to change. Repost ♻️ to share these tips with them or send to a friend who's going thru it!!

If you’ve ever felt unsure about your career direction or questioned whether your current path truly aligns with your strengths and passions, you’re not alone. One tool that helped me gain real clarity was the MAPP (Motivational Appraisal Personal Potential) career assessment. Unlike many generic career quizzes, the MAPP digs deep into what actually motivates you—beyond just skills and experience. It helps identify careers that align with your natural preferences, personality, and potential, giving you insight into not just what you can do, but what you’ll actually enjoy doing long-term. Taking the MAPP assessment helped me better understand my core drivers and gave me language to articulate my strengths and career goals in a way that felt authentic. Whether you’re a student, a career changer, or just looking to realign your path, I highly recommend giving it a try. Sometimes, the first step toward a more fulfilling career is just better self-awareness. It certainly makes it easier to talk about yourself in an interview when you know yourself better. https://lnkd.in/gvK4adK5 #CareerDevelopment #SelfDiscovery #CareerAssessment #MAPP #ProfessionalGrowth #CareerGem