Two days ago I read an article on CNNMonday.com about how many people are afraid that taking a “survival job” to make ends meet now will destroy their career when the economy picks up again.
That’s very understandable. When you’re forced into a lower-level job than you were currently doing, or find yourself doing a job that is different from what you want to do – it’s scary because you’re been shoved off the linear career path you’ve always thought you’d have. It’s no longer get a degree, get a job in your field and advance steadily up the ranks.
It’s especially scary if you’ve spent your entire life trying to get a job in one field, even getting an MBA or a field-specific degree – and then (as one of the guys in the article did) find yourself something as unrelated as dog-walking to make ends meet!
But that doesn’t mean walking Fido is career suicide.
Three years ago, I found myself in a very similar situation to those job-seekers who are working far out in left field. I had just finished my Masters degree in Business Innovation, and had wrapped up a stint working for a big-time creativity expert. And then I decided to move to Germany for some months to study German and learn to communicate with my German boyfriend’s family and friends.
Sidetracked executives
Obviously this was a huge sidetrack from the career I wanted to create for myself – and I was lucky in that taking this sidetrack was my choice – but it was still completely different from what I wanted to do with my life.
Since I was in high school, I’ve dreamed of working for an innovation consultancy – and moving halfway around the world to do something completely unrelated was probably not the smartest thing to do for my future. Especially since there are only a few innovation consultancies in the world and competition for jobs is fierce.
But that move to Germany didn’t prove to be career suicide. It actually was the push I needed to set myself up for my dream job!
Because I was so far away from any possible contact with the companies I wanted to work for, I knew I needed to figure out a different way to reach them. So, I spent a ton of time reading about my dream companies and figuring out what it would take to get their attention. Then, shortly after I arrived in Germany, I launched getFreshMinds.com–my creativity blog that was specifically targeted to help me get the attention of decision-makers at my target companies.
After my German class, I’d come home to write on my blog and reach out to other innovative people. Even though no one was talking about personal branding then, that was what I was doing. And it worked. Because of the blog I started when I was AWOL in Germany, I’ve connected with many, many people in my chosen field and I’m in a much, much stronger position that I would have been if I had simply looked for a job after I finished my MA.
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t have been motivated to put so much effort into branding if I hadn’t found myself light-years away from the work I wanted to do. But because I couldn’t just gradually advance through the ranks in my chosen field, I had to carve a place out for myself in my chosen field. And doing that has really paid off.
Necessity the mother of invention
So, to those job seekers who are worried that they’ll destroy their future if they head in a different direction for a while, don’t worry so much. You just need to figure out a different way to demonstrate that you belong in the job you want. Walking a dog or tending bar will only keep you from your dream job if all you do is work and go home.
If you put the effort into branding yourself, you can come out of a tangent job just as strong as before, or in an even better position.
Author:
Katie Konrath writes about creativity, innovation and “ideas so fresh… they should be slapped!” at www.getFreshMinds.com.
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Internet will still continue to offer a platform to get it right irrespective of present position. Your logic and strategy will work our for anyone who embrace it. Great opibnion here Katie
Great post, and well said. Few thougths:
1) there is no career suicide before age 35. So many I talk to say they are crushed, but they are only in the first quarter of their career.
2) Taking lower pay/jobs has negative implications in a large, structured environment, like consulting, for example. Moving from a senior director to a director position actually sets you back the equivalent amount of years. But in smaller companies, or where the career track is not so well defined, it is simply an opportunity to perform, and if you do, you will be paid and promoted.
Rick Smith
The Leap