What’s Next for Me?

Navigating a career can be tricky. So many viable choices and opportunities present a challenge for even the best resume builders. The roles and positions we accept define us to the world — and even to ourselves. Advice for how to best forge a great career is plentiful, but mostly without calories. We are generally on our own after we seek the advice of trusted mentors and friends. We must ask and answer the ultimate question: What’s next for me? 

As you think about your career, try taking an artistic view and begin asking a different question. Instead of asking what is the likely next step, ask: What am I trying to create? What mastery should I seek? What skills should I learn? What challenges should I confront? What passions am I aching to itch? 

By looking at a career as an artistic creation and not a chronology of jobs, we begin to see life emerge, which is exactly what a career best represents. Paint a tremendous life, not by selecting colors, but by defining the image of what most stimulates you. All great careers are a portrait of skills and experiences, not titles and positions.