Think As Inc

A WIN-WIN SOLUTION TO LABOR MARKET CHAOS

August 11, 2009 on 1:54 am | In life coaching | No Comments

Happy new year, but the market still isn’t happy.  And the bad news is hitting everyone, even historically “safe” careers.  I had breakfast with a former colleague in 2007, who was working a job she didn’t really like with the expectation of cashing out in a few short years.  She worked for Lehman Brothers, oops.

An indiscriminate market that hits even the safe bets highlights an important and often overlooked point about the choices we make.  There is no 100% sure thing.  Every choice carries a risk.  If you make a career choice just to mitigate your risk, you could experience a potentially bigger letdown.  Let’s say you choose that banking job, even though your dream is writing.  Because banking is stable.  Because writing doesn’t pay.  If you’re one of the tens of thousands laid off in financial services recently, you’ve lost out twice:  1) you’ve lost your job; and 2) you’ve compromised your dream for what turns out to be a false sense of security. 

A better approach would be to acknowledge that all choices carry potential risks.  Therefore take the risk for something you truly want.  This approach is a win-win solution.  If things work out, you have your dream career.  If not, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you did your best for what you love.  Either way, you’ll have a fabulous time on your journey.