In a perfect world we know what we want to be when we grow up, we undertake the necessary training, we get an entry-level job and our career takes off to whatever lofty heights we so desire.
Like I said... in a perfect world. However, not all of us live in a perfect world. And in the real world things don't always go to plan. Sometimes we change our mind and decide we want to take a different path. Sometimes a decision is taken out of hands, as in the case of all those capable, qualified and driven individuals who've been made redundant over the last year or so.
Not everyone gets a one way, trouble free ride up the career ladder. Sometimes our journey is more like a game of snakes and ladders. Move along, get a promotion, move on up. Sometimes as we progress we hit a box with a snake on it and that sends us backwards. I want to point out though that not all snakes are dangerous.
Landing on a snake square can make us stop and analyse things. Maybe we've got as high as we can in a certain field or we are bored and seek a new challenge. It might be time to switch industries or roles. In order to do that we often have to take a step backwards - either in salary or job title - in order to get onto a new pathway. There are also times in our lives when we navigate ourselves onto a snake square and chose to take a less stressful or lower ranking position for a while for personal reasons.
The world of work is really one big game (for some it's more serious than others) and one that should be fun to play. If you're not having fun, you may need to move. Climb up a ladder or slide down a snake - you may come across another ladder that will soon take you to where you want to be. Don't stand still for too long though.Image courtesy: Chris P Jobling
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