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Almost everywhere I have worked, it seems like people get moved into different roles or have so many things added to what they do/signed on for, that I am starting to wonder why we even bother planning our careers around what we like and/or are good at in the first place?!
For example, someone who was hired (and great at) writing publications getting moved into a role writing tweets, a salesperson getting moved to an implementation role (although they eventually switched him back, he was sooo stressed!), research types getting moved to customer service roles, and in my case getting so many detail type tasks added that I would never have been interested in the job had it been this way upfront.
Then I see lots of articles about how important the right boss is and how to tell in interviews and things like that. However, I've had 4 different bosses in less than 4 years at this company (1 left but otherwise they were just moving people around), and in other jobs it's been almost as bad (especially when you go from a good boss to a less good boss!).
So, maybe all that matters is the company?! Is it better in certain industries or with certain skills sets? Thoughts!?
If they even try to match the boss with the job, it'd be an improvement. My wife worked as an accountant where her boss' only job prerequisite was a degree. My wife made $35K, her boss made $60K because of her Master's Degree, in Art!
I don't understand your point. The needs of the company changes. The job changes. If you don't want to roll with the changes, find another job that's doing exactly what you want to do.
We don't control who are bosses are. Roll with the punches or move to another department/company so you'll have a different boss.
Life is dynamic. Things will always change. Why would work and employment be any different? We make personal adjustments as things change.
I think in life, or I've realised at the least, that the only grounding we have is in oursleves. EVERYTHING changes, and the ancient Chinese were spot on lol..
At my own workplace, things were relatively decent until about 12-18 months ago, when there were most likely fissures between our unit's management. Since then there have been some radical changes, and to be honest it's not overly bothering me since I have gained a LOT from my time there, I'm still relatively young and have options.
A career plan should really account for things that don't go to plan, and even if you have to change organisation, so what? Even if one's boss, organisation, work content, co-workers are fine but then one has been there for a while, I'd think many would want a change to keep themselves challenged. Living is about being flexible and rolling with the punches as it were, since not all changes can be altered.
I didn't say I wouldn't roll with the punches and the post wasn't about me specifically (well, too much, it was prompted by 4th boss change when I liked my 2nd boss the best and was just getting used to the third).
My point was that we all spend a good amount of time trying to figure out a career path, but in the end it seems like you can make all the decisions and plans that you want, but once you work somewhere you could end up doing something totally different. Or we hit it off with a boss in an interview, get the job, and work for someone else 5 months later.
My kids will be entering HS and college in the near future, which I guess is also why I'm thinking about this. Pick a path you enjoy but go with the flow once you start work?!
I didn't say I wouldn't roll with the punches and the post wasn't about me specifically (well, too much, it was prompted by 4th boss change when I liked my 2nd boss the best and was just getting used to the third).
My point was that we all spend a good amount of time trying to figure out a career path, but in the end it seems like you can make all the decisions and plans that you want, but once you work somewhere you could end up doing something totally different. Or we hit it off with a boss in an interview, get the job, and work for someone else 5 months later.
My kids will be entering HS and college in the near future, which I guess is also why I'm thinking about this. Pick a path you enjoy but go with the flow once you start work?!
Sure.
The college degree is only a piece of paper that says "I have the wherewithal to stick out an additional 4 years of study at a time in my life where I'm convinced I know everything." Most people who aren't in STEM fields are working in a job seemingly unrelated to their degree. But who knows who they are at 22? I didn't. And I certainly did not know exactly what I was good at, so I had no idea what to study in college. But I went because I drank the kool-aid and thought I had to go.
You won't know what kind of boss you have until you work for the person. And even then, you won't know your boss until you know your boss. That takes effort. And skill.
The interview can tell you a lot, but how many times have you interviewed with the person you will be working under? I haven't had that since I was in entry level jobs. I'm getting to the point in my career where I am seeing that again because that's how it goes when you move up in your career. But the middle part of it... I didn't interview with my immediate bosses so I had no idea what I was getting into.
My point was that we all spend a good amount of time trying to figure out a career path, but in the end it seems like you can make all the decisions and plans that you want, but once you work somewhere you could end up doing something totally different. Or we hit it off with a boss in an interview, get the job, and work for someone else 5 months later.
Yep. True. It's called life. It's totally unpredictable. We don't and can't control it.
I'm sure you've heard the old saying "The best-laid plans of mice and men / Often go awry"). Or you've heard "If you want to make God laugh, make plans."
Life is a ride. Sometimes it takes you places you thought you'd never go.
Tell your kids to try to find something they like and something that will yield them what they want in life. Sure, they can try to plan but they have to be able to be flexible enough to change as life changes.
The key is to always make forward movement.
If you're hired to do marketing work, and somehow the job seems to be more like administrative work, that can happen. Don't freak out. Just move on to something else more in line with what you want.
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