One Thing You Did that ID'd/Accomplished Your Career Goal

[Yvonne W.]

Hello All,

I am currently on a career "soul search." I have done the whole "talk to as many people in as many different finance industry as possible" thing, and I even went through mentorship programs held by my company or school. I still find myself thinking at the quiet time in the day, "what more can I do to find out where I want to be or get to where I want to go."
I just hear so many unique stories: I helped a guy out, who ultimately led me to this interesting path in finance; I got into this project/company (because first job/friend introduced/just magical timing), and that led me to xyz path; I knew a guy in college/work and he took me with him to this new firm & from there I got know this other guy & moved onto the next firm...
Other than working on various jobs, I can't possibly know something's a good career for me without actually working in it for a good year.

So...my question is (for people who have done the "soul search" or are doing the "soul search"): What was your experience like? If you found what you want to do, how did you get there?

 

[ADT]

I read somewhere that defining the job (or the house or the car) that you want is less useful than defining the type of lifestyle you want, and taking actions to get closer to that goal. For example, defining that you want a house in X neighborhood with Y market value traps you in mortgages that may actually keep you from what you want. E.g. if you want the freedom to travel then you'd want a flexible, perhaps remote work and find jobs/career to fit that.

But on the job/career front, even though it's true that you can't possibly know what a job is like until you have done it... you can scope out through clues in your interviews or talking to their competitors or their external vendors or ex-employees etc to get clues and hints. Generally I have found that my favorite work is less about the subject matter / area, than the people I am working with, the people I am working for - because that defines your opportunity set (and therefore your compensation and growth), your work life balance, the corporate culture, etc.

 

[Yvonne W.]

I read somewhere that defining the job (or the house or the car) that you want is less useful than defining the type of lifestyle you want, and taking actions to get closer to that goal. For example, defining that you want a house in X neighborhood with Y market value traps you in mortgages that may actually keep you from what you want. E.g. if you want the freedom to travel then you'd want a flexible, perhaps remote work and find jobs/career to fit that.

But on the job/career front, even though it's true that you can't possibly know what a job is like until you have done it... you can scope out through clues in your interviews or talking to their competitors or their external vendors or ex-employees etc to get clues and hints. Generally I have found that my favorite work is less about the subject matter / area, than the people I am working with, the people I am working for - because that defines your opportunity set (and therefore your compensation and growth), your work life balance, the corporate culture, etc.

@ADT Thank you!. Perhaps I am just not asking the right questions or to the right group of people. However, I do find myself not sure what type of work life balance fits me...I do catch myself thinking "you know...I can tough it out" (which I have heard is what many ibankers believed before they went into it haha)