A “career crisis” is not the same as a mid-life crisis and there is no real relationship between a career crisis and one’s age.
When you are in a career crisis, you feel stuck . . . perhaps frustrated . . . . . sometimes depressed . . . maybe a little bewildered and unsure of yourself. In any event, you’re not comfortable. Most of the time, individuals are simply bored. The causes are many, but the feelings are similar.
My coaching focuses on not only the circumstance in which you might find yourself, but also on the relationship between how you feel about what you are doing and your level of competence. Those two variables combine to affect your ultimate feelings and even your performance on the job.
There are different career crises that are nearly inevitable at one time or another in a career. Those I see most often include the following:
- The first job
- First job disappointment
- Bored and frustrated on the job BEFORE reaching a goal
- Adrift
- Bored and frustrated on the job AFTER reaching a goal
- Laid off, fired . . . out of a job
- The Last Act – facing retirement and the final one-third of life
These are common career crises and are easily understood, and can be faced with confidence with an excellent chance of success. My coaching focuses on the root cause of these crises and the positive steps one can take to transform one’s self out of that circumstance into a new chapter of life. I have written a book about the mechanics of career crises and apply the principles of that book, The Doom Loop, into my coaching practice.
