You're questioning your career choice, aren't you?As you get older, you are less and less passionate about what you do and it's harder to get yourself out of bed to do it.
The problem is that you're stuck. It's a decent job with good perks. You have a family and they count on you for insurance, a steady paycheck, and paid time off.
You can't risk losing that. If you take a chance on something in an effort to build your resume, you risk having your whole career go south. There's too much riding on it. Too much riding on you wasting away at your desk.
Without that experience, you can forget being hired for an exciting job that you're passionate about. You can forget about that dream of getting paid to do what you love. You can forget about making a difference.
But what if there were a way?
What if you could get all of the experience you want in any area without putting your job on the line? What if it didn't matter if you were taught by experts or just figuring it out by trial and error? What if people would be thankful for it no matter what?
And what if gaining that experience helped other people "“ right from the start? I'm not talking about helping the rich get richer "“ I'm talking about genuinely helping fight for a cause that you believe in. Root for the underdog. Do something that you're passionate about.
Gain the needed experience by saving the world
Volunteer for a cause. Any cause. Pick something that you're passionate about and make a call.
There are tons of advantages, but one is that you don't need any experience!
Got that?
You can sharpen the skill but don't need the knowledge!
You can take all of the risk that you want and not worry about consequences. If there's an area you'd like to become more familiar with, have at it. If you feel like you could help somewhere because you're already good at it – go for it.
Do you want to get better working in large groups?
Alone?
Do you want to organize an event?
How about calling donors?
Or public speaking?
Guess what? You can do all of those things when you volunteer.
You're helping people, feeling good about it, networking, and building your resume. This isn't even why people sign up but it's what happens!
I gave a commencement speech for a master's program a while back and focused on this very thing. I talked about it because they ASKED me to. They had just trained the next generation of industrial leaders and wanted me to show them the value of giving back while moving forward.
"See a need, fill a need" – Bigweld
So how's that "career" working out for you?
What would you like to be doing? What's holding you back?
It shouldn't be that you're afraid to take a risk. It shouldn't be that you don't have the experience and you think you've been pigeon-holed for doing a certain job.
It's actually very easy for you to get the experience you need. You're smarter than the average bear so people will look up to you. They'll ask for your opinion on things and it will matter.
And, you get to put it on your resume and talk about it in your interview.
Oh yeah, so what happens if you bite off more than you can chew? Nothing.
What are they going to do if you happen to screw up? Fire you? You're volunteering! Even if they did get rid of you (not likely), you don't have to write that down. It's not like you'd have a gap in your work-life that you have to account for.
The reality is that you're going to be appreciated and not put your private life at risk. That's a win-win.
There is a tremendous need for good-natured, smart people to help underfunded causes. You have a strong desire to you to gain valuable experience to put on your resume. This does both!
More than anything, you want to be happy with your career, support your family, and be an excellent role model.
Guess what? You can!
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