I am not sure what it is, perhaps it's getting older or just being in the healthcare field for so long, but it seems like some people have Career Regret, me included. Career Regret is when you start reflecting over your career and wonder if you made the right decisions and are doing what you planned to do when you were younger.
In the past, Career Regret on my end often bothered me because I often used money as a goal rather than seeking a position based on what coincided with my heart and soul. I know, it seems a bit contrived but the older I get the more I realize that life is not just a paycheck, but a series of experiences all interrelated. Thus, your paycheck should be tied to something that is your calling versus a mandatory, show up at all costs, life draining activity. I completely understand that some of us (including me in the past) are in situations that will not allow us to get to that place of blissful work.
One of the things that I often hear from people is that they will start living the life they want when they retire. They are going to wait 5, 10, 20 years before living the life they want. Or, they indicate they do not have time to do the things they want, or it will take too long.
On a philosophical front, life is not promised to any of us. All we have is today, so why wait to start living your life? Who said you will make it to retirement? I am not trying to rain on your parade, but to truly live you need to start doing those things today that give you life, not wait 5, 10, or 20 years. Every day of life is a gift that you were given, so I encourage you to use it fully.
On the reality front, time is going to move regardless of what you do or don’t do. I had many things I wanted to do when I was younger but put them off because of the time it would take. I was like most of us, I wanted what I wanted “right now” and did not want to wait. For me, this led to some of the choices I made in my career because I was focused on money and job titles rather than what I needed to do in order to develop the skill set that would have taken me in the direction I planned to go in. However, at that time I wanted everything right then without delay.
In hindsight I can see where I made many of my career mistakes and luckily, I am in a position now where I can assist those in the younger generation avoid making the same ones I made. However, there is one thing that I have realized. Do I really have Career Regret or am I only imagining the "coulda, woulda, shoulda" in my life similar to how people think about past loves and the one that got away?
If you did have the perfect career path, would life be blissful and perfect? Would the proverbial grass is greener on the other side be true? In all honesty, probably not because as my college football coach said, the grass always looks greener on the other side but once you are over there it is the same crap over there (he used different words – lol).
So while you may have some Career Regret, I suggest you appreciate the journey you have been on and rather than dwell on the past zig zags that brought you to this point, think about where you are headed and focus on moving in a forward direction.
If you are thinking about some changes in your career, what not start now? Why should you wait another day? The answer is you should not. So, if you hate your job or the direction of your career you can do several things. You can do nothing, stay there and make some changes or find another source of income elsewhere.
If you do nothing, then your future is easy to predict, just look where you have been and the future will be a continuation of that past.
If you want change but are not in a position to change jobs, strategize on how you can make your job better. Are there opportunities within your current role that will allow you to grow your skill set or provide you with some type of intrinsic value that is important to you? For me, I always took advantage of volunteer opportunities at the workplace because community service is important to me and as an added benefit, it allowed me to get to know my co-workers outside the office setting which I found improved relationships.
If you are ready and able to change jobs, be intentional in your moves. Ensure they are logical and strategic. I suggest that rather than run from a position, you allow yourself to be pulled towards one that is more in line with your desires. Sometimes we hate a situation so much we jump from a campfire to a furnace and then find ourselves in a worse situation with nowhere to go.
Regardless of your age, it is never too late to make changes in your career. Sure, it may not have evolved the way you wanted it to go, but the beauty of life is that you have today and all of its opportunities to direct your future. So go ahead, live your life in a way that will give you experiences that will enrich you and make you jump out of the bed in the AM.
You have one life and it’s not a practice session.
Carpe Diem!
Nurse Parker