If you don’t know where you are going – guess when you are going to get there?

I’m not sure how much clearer I can make this to engineers who come to me for career advice.

In the hundreds of discussions I have regarding engineering careers, this is one which takes center stage.

Have a think about this.

If you cannot answer the question “Do you know where you are going” how and when do you think are you going to get there?

The dissatisfaction, the sense of not knowing if you want to continue to do what you are doing and then questioning if having become an engineer was a good decision in the first place – all start to creep in like rotting fruit.

If you are unhappy with your career situation, rather than focus on the negatives – which is the dissatisfaction, the sense of dread of going in to work, the questioning of basic decisions made – focus on the positives of what you could do, to get out of this rut.

But picking just something else to do is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Things are bad now but how bad is bad until you experience what worse is?

So proper research through engagement with the right people is what’s going to get you out of the rut.

Now I’ve heard several engineers say – its easier said than done.

If this is difficult to achieve on your own, seek professional help.

When you are sick you don’t self medicate and try and cure yourself. So when your career is sick, why self-medicate your career?

Whichever way you do this – self-medication or through a career professional just recognize the fact that if you don’t know where you are going, you will never get to where you are going. Now or 30 years down the line when you look back at your career.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-dont-know-where-going-guess-when-get-ray-pavri/