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Where is Your Career Headed? (AMP)

What stage is your career in right now?

What direction is your career path headed?

Before you decide what direction you want to steer your career to, you should first determine what situation your career is at the present. In order to determine that, you must consider this very basic but important factors to assess your current situation; and from there where you want to take your career.

These three basic factors are – Ability, Market/Company Need and Passion (AMP)

Market or Company Need – this is the requirement of the industry/economy for products and services. In short these are the demands of the industry. This is an important factor you must consider in your career path. Are there demands for your chosen field of expertise or for your products?

Passion – Different people are inclined to different things and interest. What are yours? This is another important factor to consider when considering the path you want to take your career to. In my opinion, its importance is a notch higher than the other two. Continue reading and I will elucidate further.

Ability – Well this is your knack for doing or producing things. The ability to perform tasks and functions to meet the demands of the market/company. Consideration of this one also plays a role in your career path choice but not so much as the previous.

By assessing these three factors, you can determine the present situation/situations of your career and maneuver it from there to where you want it to set out. The combinations of the three factors can tell you if you want to GO, GROW or GLOW in your career. But if you’re the partying type, you can also do the GRIND…

Passion + Ability – Market Need = GO

You have the passion and the ability but there is no market or company need for these abilities and passion. Sometimes, it is phrased as, “the company have outgrown your usefulness.”

But don’t despair, this doesn’t mean that you are useless. No! Far from it. Nothing or nobody is ever “useless.” This might just mean that the company have upgraded and for economic reasons made your abilities and passion seemed obsolete.

If you’re in this situation, it is better for you to GO!

You have two options here. You can resign or reassign.

You can be reassigned; propose a new place or department where your passion and abilities would be needed. But if you or the company really find your abilities archaic and can’t see where they can fit, it’s really now time to resign. Find a new place where your passion and abilities would be required. GO and search for new opportunities.

Market Need + Passion – Ability = GROW

There is a great market need, you have the passion for these demands but you lack the abilities. This situation is where you can GROW. Remember earlier when I pointed out how passion does outweigh the other factors? I’ve stated it because in my opinion, if you have a great passion for things you would find ways to improve and most of all you’ll enjoy what you’re doing. Most often, you are always aiming to “perfect” your craft because this really is your passion. The reason why most of professionals and skilled workers gained their expertise is because they have the passion to do their respective fields. That’s how they endured what to others are seemingly grueling preparations and trainings. Take professionals who studied and trained long years in their education just to reach where they are. To others it may seem an insurmountable task but to these people it’s not because it’s their passion and they actually enjoy it. Another reason why college students don’t finish their course even if they have the resources to; or shift from course to course is because they lack the passion. It’s very hard to do things if you have no passion for it. (I’ll tackle it further as you continue reading)

So if you’re in this situation, you would surely seek growth. Train and study to acquire the ability to meet the demands. And if you have the passion “quality is not negotiable.” And when you gain abilities, I recommend that you continue GROWING because the time continues to be changing. We should change with time for the better. And seek to continuously improve.

Ability + Market Need + Passion = GLOW

This situation is the most ideal of all. If you are in this situation, your career would surely GLOW. The cliché “if you love your work, you’ll never have to work another day in your life,” applies in this situation. Think about it, the company/market needs your ability and you have the passion in doing these things. What more can you ask for? This really is your sweet spot. And this is really what you should aim for in whatever career you pursue.

So if you’re already in this situation, Amen!

I don’t want to be unenthusiastic, but changes happen from time to time. Changes in market need, passion and abilities do happen with time. So checking is important from time to time. Asses the changes and gauge you’re career situation, you may need to GROW or GO sometimes but what you really need to aim for is to GLOW in your career. This maybe our greatest goal in career path. When one is able to reach it, you should always be constantly aiming for it because time might sometimes lead us to GO or experience the GRIND.

Now, here’s the GRIND…

Earlier, I taunted you if you’re the partying type who loves the grind, but in this case, you wouldn’t want this kind of GRIND in your career. Let me explain…

Market Need + Ability – Passion = GRIND

This where stress in work starts. This is the situation where you don’t want to do the things you have to but you have no choice because well, you have to. I’m sure a lot of you can relate to what I’m exclaiming. You don’t want to perform certain tasks but you have no choice because the situation calls for it and you’re the one who has the ability to perform the tasks. You’re just doing it because it is needed or nobody else can do it but not because you want to do it. It is called the GRIND, because when you grind things against each other, there is friction, tension or stress. Same as with people who are in this situation of their career. That’s why you often hear people who are “stressed out” in their work.

It is but normal to experience the GRIND in your work from time to time. Situations might arise to call for you to do things you don’t like but are required. The outputs are needed and no other else can produce the outputs except for you. Just make sure that these situations are minor part of your role in your career. Do not make this your major or entire role. It is normal to feel slight stress, but be careful if you’re doing things more and more but enjoying it less and less.

As for object /materials, people also have limits with regards to their “stress.” Like materials, when people are subjected to stress up to the point of their limits, they tend to reach the break/rapture point. And we really, really don’t want that happening.

So if you’re in a point in your career where you feel that you completely lost your passion for your work/career for whatever reasons, I recommend that instead of enduring the GRIND every single working day of your life, why not just choose to GO? I think it is better than you “breaking!” Our body can only take so much.

But this is easier said than done for some people. The main reason might be (in my opinion) is FEAR. Their fear of leaving their comfort zone. (but do you really feel comfortable in this zone?) or their fear of change and so on and so forth.

So there you have it, what situation are you now in your career?

Where do you want to go from here?

I really would like to GROW too, so I like to read your comments to better improve my posts. And if you find beneficial information in my posts, please reaffirm my passion by liking my page in FB.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Until the next reading session.

Have a nice day.

Joel Magsisi