How to Pick a Career (That Actually Fits You)
Summary
TLDRThis video script discusses the common struggle of finding fulfilling work, offering insights from career expert Helen Tupper's book 'The Squiggly Career'. It suggests seven tips for building a meaningful career without drastic life changes, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection, identifying core values, avoiding superficial job attractions, and leveraging strengths that energize. The script also highlights the value of being career curious, networking effectively, and fostering collective confidence to overcome common confidence issues, ultimately aiming to help viewers make more informed career choices.
Takeaways
- đ Many people feel stuck in jobs that are draining and unfulfilling, which can lead to a sense of wasting life due to the significant amount of time spent at work.
- đ Helen Tupper's book 'The Squiggly Career' encourages breaking free from traditional career paths and exploring new possibilities at work.
- đ§ââïž Tip 1: 'Unplug Autopilot' suggests taking control of your career by reflecting on what truly makes you happy and fulfilling, rather than mindlessly following a set path.
- đŻ Tip 2: 'Play the Value Game' involves identifying core beliefs and needs by envisioning your perfect work environment and team, and understanding what is truly important to you.
- đŒ Helen warns against 'Shiny Objects' like high job titles or big salaries that may look appealing but do not necessarily contribute to job satisfaction.
- đ 'Switch Your Strengths' is about recognizing what energizes you versus what drains you, even if it's not something you're currently good at.
- đ€ Be 'Career Curious' by exploring different roles and having conversations with people in those positions to understand what the job entails and if it aligns with your values and strengths.
- đ€ Networking is not just about self-promotion but about building relationships where you can learn from others' experiences and seek guidance.
- đ Asking for help should be done in a way that makes it easy for others to assist you, by articulating your needs clearly and showing appreciation for their time and advice.
- đŠ 'Collective Confidence' is about acknowledging that everyone has doubts and anxieties, and by recognizing this, we can support each other in overcoming these fears to pursue fulfilling career paths.
- đ The importance of following up with mentors and showing them the impact of their advice can foster stronger relationships and further guidance in your career development.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the video script regarding people's jobs?
-The main issue discussed is that many people find themselves stuck in jobs they don't enjoy, which can drain their energy and make them feel like they're wasting their lives.
Who is Helen Tupper and what is her contribution to the discussion?
-Helen Tupper is a career expert who has written a book called 'The Squiggly Career'. She offers insights on how to break free from the corporate ladder and find fulfilling work.
What does the term 'unplug autopilot' mean in the context of the script?
-'Unplug autopilot' refers to the need to stop making quick, thoughtless choices about one's career and instead take time to reflect on what truly makes one happy and fulfilled.
What is the 'values game' and how does it help in career planning?
-The 'values game' is a method to identify one's core beliefs and needs in relation to work. It helps in career planning by allowing individuals to understand what is truly important to them and to make career choices that align with these values.
What is the significance of 'shiny objects' in the context of job satisfaction?
-In the script, 'shiny objects' represent superficial aspects of a job that may seem appealing but do not contribute to genuine job satisfaction, such as a fancy title or a high salary.
How does Helen Tupper redefine the concept of strengths and weaknesses in the context of career?
-Helen Tupper redefines strengths as things that energize you, even if you're not yet good at them, and weaknesses as things that drain your energy, even if you're skilled at them.
What is the advice given for avoiding the trap of 'shiny object' careers?
-The advice is to focus on one's values and what is truly important and fulfilling, rather than being distracted by superficial benefits.
What is the role of 'career curiosity' in finding a fulfilling career?
-'Career curiosity' involves being proactively curious about one's career options, exploring different roles, and having conversations with people in those roles to understand what they entail.
How can networking be beneficial in career development, according to the script?
-Networking can be beneficial as it allows individuals to learn from others' experiences, gain insights, and find mentors who can guide them in their career development.
What is the concept of 'collective confidence' and its importance in career advancement?
-'Collective confidence' refers to the understanding that everyone struggles with confidence issues or 'gremlins'. Recognizing this can help individuals support each other and not let doubts and anxieties hold them back from pursuing fulfilling career opportunities.
Outlines
đ Stuck in Unfulfilling Jobs
The paragraph discusses the common issue of individuals feeling trapped in jobs that they do not enjoy, which can lead to a sense of wasted life and unhappiness. The script introduces Helen Tupper, a career expert, and her book 'The Squiggly Career,' which advocates for breaking free from traditional career ladders to find more meaningful work. The paragraph offers seven tips to help viewers reflect on their career aspirations and how to achieve them, starting with the advice to 'unplug autopilot' and spend more time considering personal desires and motivations before making career decisions.
đ Playing the Value Game for Career Satisfaction
This paragraph delves into the concept of the 'values game,' a method for identifying one's core beliefs and needs in relation to work. It emphasizes the importance of understanding what qualities one seeks in a team and the type of work environment that is desirable. The paragraph suggests reflecting on personal 'sticky words' or values that are particularly meaningful and using these to evaluate the fit of potential career roles. It also touches on the idea of focusing on what energizes you rather than just what you're good at, and how this perspective can lead to more fulfilling work.
đ Career Curiosity and Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome
The paragraph advises viewers to be 'career curious' and explore different career paths without necessarily making drastic changes. It warns against the allure of 'shiny objects' like job titles, status, or high salaries, which may seem appealing but do not guarantee job satisfaction. Instead, the focus should be on aligning with one's values and strengths. The speaker suggests talking to people in roles of interest to gain insight and understanding of what those roles entail. Additionally, the paragraph introduces the idea of finding a mentor and the importance of articulating requests for guidance in a way that makes it easy for others to help.
đ€ Building Confidence and Seeking Support
In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of networking and seeking help from others, emphasizing that most people are willing to assist if approached politely and with a clear purpose. It provides advice on how to approach potential mentors and the value of following up on their advice. The concept of 'collective confidence' is introduced, highlighting that everyone struggles with self-doubt, referred to as 'confidence gremlins.' The paragraph encourages viewers to recognize these insecurities and not let them hinder career progression, reminding them that everyone, regardless of their position, has similar doubts and anxieties.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄAutonomous Career Choices
đĄUnplug Autopilot
đĄCareer Reflection
đĄValues Game
đĄShiny Objects
đĄStrengths and Weaknesses
đĄCareer Curiosity
đĄNetworking
đĄCollective Confidence
đĄConfidence Gremlins
Highlights
Many people find themselves in jobs that drain their energy, which can feel like a waste of life due to the significant time spent at work.
The pursuit of a job one enjoys can seem impossible due to the necessity of earning a living, leading to a compromise at the cost of happiness.
Helen Tupper's book 'The Squiggly Career' offers guidance on breaking free from the corporate ladder and exploring new career possibilities.
Seven tips and insights from Helen Tupper are presented to help individuals consider their career direction and how to achieve it.
Tip one suggests unplugging autopilot and taking control by reflecting on personal desires and motivations rather than making quick job choices.
The value game is introduced as a method to identify core beliefs and needs in relation to work, helping to clarify what is truly important for career satisfaction.
Morning Brew is recommended as a daily email newsletter for staying updated on business, finance, tech, and world news in an engaging manner.
Shiny objects are described as superficial job aspects that may appear appealing but do not contribute to long-term happiness or fulfillment.
The concept of switching strengths is introduced, where strengths are what energize you, and weaknesses are what drain your energy, regardless of proficiency.
Being career curious involves exploring different career paths and possibilities without necessarily making drastic changes.
Networking is simplified by asking for specific advice or insights rather than seeking a mentor for an ongoing commitment.
Collective confidence is the idea that everyone struggles with confidence, and recognizing this can help individuals support each other in career growth.
The importance of following up with mentors after taking their advice to demonstrate that their guidance was valuable and effective.
The video concludes by encouraging viewers to watch the full episode with Helen for a deeper dive into career development strategies.
Transcripts
loads of people find themselves stuck in
jobs that they don't actually enjoy or
even worse jobs that drain their energy
and grind them down and when we spend so
much time at work this is a big problem
because not only do we feel like we are
wasting our time at work we can feel
like we are wasting our whole lives and
we can often feel really stuck we need
our jobs in order to make money and
survive and do all the things we
actually want to do but it comes at the
cost of our happiness so trying to pick
a job that you actually enjoy can seem
impossible at times but what if I told
you that there's a way to build build a
career that you find meaningful and
fulfilling without the need to upend
your life a little while ago on my
podcast Deep dive I interviewed Helen
Tupper a career expert who's written a
book called the squiggly career which is
all about helping people break free from
the corporate ladder and find new
possibilities at work it's about not
being limited by a ladder not thinking
that the only way is up and that the
only destination in terms of success is
becoming more senior once we get rid of
those constraints is actually quite
liberating for people so in this video
we're going to talk through seven tips
and insights from Helen to help you
really think about where you want to go
in your career and how to actually get
there let's get into it all right so tip
number one is to unplug autopilot one of
the biggest problems we face when trying
to find a career we actually enjoy is
the fact that we don't actually spend
much time thinking about what it is that
we really want we don't necessarily
reflect for very long unless you read
the book on things that make you happy
the things that motivate and drive you
so we um make quick choices we sort of
bounce around from one job to the next
hoping that we will find out what makes
us happy once we've got there uh and I
think if we could spend a little bit
more time reflecting on what makes us
happy before we get there then we can
make better decisions about our
developments so lots of people are just
on autopilot we go to school and then
University and then get a job and school
and University don't leave much room for
self-reflection often we're stuck living
with the decisions we made as teenagers
before we had any real experience of who
we are and what the world is like and if
we don't like it we switch and then
switch again and again or get caught up
trying to climb the career ladder I have
finally decided who I want to be our new
senior Vice President of Sales it's me
what' he say so if we want to be happy
we actually have to sit down and think
about who we are what we want and what
we find fulfilling you need to unplug
autopilot and take control yourself this
doesn't have to be your ultimate fantasy
like becoming a musician or building the
next bit company but instead you can
think about the smaller details you can
ask yourself some questions to figure
out what you want like
do you really enjoy helping people are
you motivated by having autonomy and
freedom is it important to you that you
work in a friendly environment if you
spend some time reflecting on these
things before you make another career
jump then you're more likely to make
choices in line with what you really
want all right so tip number two is to
play the value game so the values game
is a way to figure out exactly what your
core beliefs and needs are when it comes
to work now Helen and I did this
together and it was really impactful for
me because it helped me see exactly what
I need and want from my career you start
out by asking yourself these questions
if you could create your perfect team
what kind of qualities would the people
on it have if you're designing your
perfect day what sort of work are you
doing where do you like to work and this
doesn't mean the buildings this means
the kind of culture and atmosphere that
you find at your job for example for me
I know I like to work with people who
are energizing and entrepreneurial but
who are also fun and friendly and my
ideal day involves some learning and
also some teaching because those are the
things that really give me energy and
because I like to work with friendly
people it's important that my company
culture is chill and positive and when I
did this exercise with Helen in the
podcast she could see what kind of
things were really important to me I
like to listen out for like particularly
what I think are sticky words words that
other people don't say because then
they're more meaningful and memorable to
you yeah where it's not like I've ticked
it off a list like I don't really want
people to just go through a list and go
oh yes I've got a value of ambition and
I've got a value of this you know you
you might have it but let's talk about
it for a bit longer what does that word
mean to you because if I can find the
sticky words it's more likely to stick
with you and then you're more likely to
use it when you're thinking about your
career so once you found your keywords
you can start playing them off against
each other so let's say your values are
curiosity ambition honesty and
perseverance you can ask yourself what's
more important to me curiosity or
ambition honesty or perseverance
perseverance or ambition ambition or
honesty and in trading or exchanging
your values you can see which one comes
out on top and you only need a handful
of values but figuring them out can help
you see what kind of roles are really
going to be the best for you now if your
dream career is to be an entrepreneur or
if it's anything involving business
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video let's get back to it the skip the
shiny objects so Helen describes shiny
objects as things which can make a job
look super appealing but don't actually
make you happy it's surface level stuff
so it's um grades like when you're in uh
large organizations it's the oh I'm at a
a B level and I could get to the sea
level um and we kind of get very
attached to grades it's shiny objects
like literal ones like cars like I once
took a job because of the car it came
with definitely and I remember sitting
in my shiny car thinking H I'm not sure
this job's really making me happy but
I'll just put the radio on my car shiny
objects can be things like status or a
fancy job title or even a big salary
these are all things that might seem
like benefits but can distract you from
the fact that your daily life in that
job is not fulfilling or even might be
miserable if you focus on your values
the things that are truly important to
you and that you want to be known for
you're more likely to avoid the Trap of
a shiny object career and actually
figuring out what you want to be known
for is a really important step in
figuring out your career and this
doesn't have to be something you're good
at yet it can be a new skill you want to
learn or a reputation or personal brand
that you want to build but to do this we
need to understand another really
important part of Helen's philosophy
which is to switch your strengths so
normally we understand a strength as
something you're good at and a weakness
as something you're bad at but Helen has
a completely different idea she
describes strengths as things that
energize you and weaknesses are the
sorts of things that grind you down so
the things strength being the things
you're good at um actually strength's
the things that give you energy in the
work that you do um even if you're not
great at them yet so when people think
they have to be good at something or
they have to be great at it for to be
your strength they start sort of
dismissing it and they go well I'm not
as good as Ali as it so it can't be a
strength because obviously it's your
strength but I'm not as good as you so
it's not it can't be my strength and you
get into all this stuff so if we just if
our starting point for strengths is just
strengths are the things that give us
energy it's a kind of easy starting
point it's the weakness thing I just
want to really reflect on for a little
bit so weaknesses are the things you do
that take your energy away when you do
them even if you are good at them so
let's say you're really good at data
analysis you understand spreadsheets
inside out and you're really quick with
numbers but you absolutely hate it every
minute just drags by and even though you
produce the results it's a painful
process but on the other hand you might
really love talking to people and
starting up conversations you might not
be good at it yet you could be a bit
awkward or fumble your word sometimes
but this is the thing that really
energizes you and makes you feel excited
now in this case you want to focus on
what you enjoy even though you're good
at data analysis it's actually a
weakness here because it's draining your
energy and even though you might be bad
at it sharing your ideas with others and
talking to people is actually a strength
using this framework now I really like
this way of looking at strength and
weaknesses because it helps you see that
work shouldn't just be about outcomes
but how the job makes you feel cuz
that's important too we all want to do
well at work but it doesn't have to be
painful so now we've talked about all
the internal work that can help you
figure out what you want from a career
so how do we actually get there and
Helen's advice here is that you need to
be career curious so you may think that
if you're unhappy in your job you need
to make some kind of drastic change like
quit the company or start something
brand new or even go back to University
and get an MBA or train in a whole new
field and sometimes that will be the
right choice but most of the time we can
make much smaller changes to our career
to be way happier and basically you need
to know what your options are the skill
here really is to be proactively curious
about your career and you can do that in
in in lots of different ways um what I
often suggest as a starting place here
is that people um go and explore for
specific possibilities like like and I
don't mean apply for jobs that's exact
opposite of what I'm saying I'm saying I
want you to go and talk to people and
get closer to these career possibilities
and so four that I'd recommend people
have a look at um the obvious career
possibility so we we all have a move
that probably makes squiggly sense like
when I was at Microsoft it was my
manager's job like that's what people
thought I should do and it seemed
sensible to do um now I run my company
the sensible move for me to make is
actually to stay in my job because it's
growing my company is growing and so I
will grow with it that's the the
sensible move for me to make um the
reason I want people to explore this one
a little bit more is because a lot of
people assume that because it's obvious
it's the right move for them to make so
they take on their manager's job or they
go for that promotion because they
they're currently a junior and they
should be a senior and all those kind of
things or I just stay in my role because
it's obvious that it's growing and I
should stay in it um and actually maybe
that role doesn't actually need what you
want to be known for the strength maybe
that role doesn't align with the things
that really drive and motivate you back
to your values so it'll be a good fit
for you if it fits with your values and
strengths if if it doesn't then it might
look good on paper but it's not going to
be good for you and so we only know that
stuff when we when we talk to people who
are in those positions maybe we find
time to spend time in those meetings
we're observing it from a slightly
different perspective if you think you
want a new role see if there's something
you can take on where you already work
try and Branch out a bit and share your
skills more widely and most importantly
actually have conversations with people
who do the job that you're interested in
for example if a sales position opens up
in your company and you want to take it
actually ask the sales team what the job
involves if it means you have to give
weekly presentations for example but
that terrifies you and drains your
energy it might not be the best role for
you or if a role in marketing comes up
which seems really boring on paper but
when you talk to the people doing it and
you find you have loads of Freedom
autonomy and creativity then it might
actually be a great job for you so
instead of looking straight up the
ladder you can look across at other
roles to see what's available and most
importantly ask questions and have
conversations so you don't just jump
from one job to another without finding
anything really fulfilling but to do
this we also need the next skill which
is to help people help you now a lot of
people are really put off by the concept
of networking when I think of networking
I think of a bunch of people in fancy
clothes standing around drinking
cocktails and all laughing and joking
with each other everyone's trying to get
ahead and promote themselves which is
something a lot of us hate doing it
seems like a club that I don't belong to
but I think the truth is that most
people genuinely want to help and if you
ask them the right way they're probably
going to be willing to lend you a hand
now here is Helen's advice on how to
find a mentor who can help you get ahead
in your career and then when we're
making that request for that person's
time I think the way that we articulate
that request is really important so this
is where we get to the kind of the why
I'm coming to you so let's say you have
got investment experience that I would
benefit from I might say one of the
things that I'm really focused on is
amazing gifts growth and impact and one
of the ways that I think we can do that
is by investing in other people's
businesses I know that that is something
that you have done before and I think
you've got a lot of knowledge that I can
learn from would you be prepared to
spend half an hour with me just sharing
the insights that you got so that I can
use that to inform the the things that
I'm planning to do and like hell yeah of
course if IID just gone to you and said
will you be my
mentor like that's like a recurring
commitment on my time I don't have time
like come on like who are you you that
kind of who are you how much time do you
think I actually have like like there's
no it's too hard we don't want to make
it hard for people to help us remember
people helping people I want to make it
as easy as possible for you to help me
so as long as you're polite and friendly
most people are going to want to help
you if they can and another top tip here
is to always follow up with mentors if
they suggest that you try something give
it a go and then report back people
really like to feel like that time and
advice has been worthwhile but
networking is made so much easier when
you have that final skill that will help
you pick a career that you really love
and that is collective confidence now
I've spoken a lot about confidence on
this channel before but one of the
things that Helen says about confidence
has really struck with me and that is
the idea that every every single person
struggles with confidence she calls our
confidence problems confidence Gremlins
The Little voices inside our heads which
hold us back everyone has their own
Gremlins they might tell you that you're
not smart enough for a job that you're
too young or too old for a job or that
you're a bad public speaker or you're
bad at math and numbers it could
literally be anything but the important
thing is to remember that everyone has
these worries every single person
struggles with confidence and with
Collective confidence we can all lift
each other up I think with with
confidence the the the first thing
that's really important very often is
for people to know that they've got a
gremlin and know that everybody else has
two it's so often we're like oh I just
think I'm I just think I don't know
enough and I'm going to get found out
but like most people have those kind of
thoughts and it doesn't really matter
how senior people are or what position
they're in most people have some kind of
confidence gremling that gets in the way
of their growth and I often find when
we're doing like squiggly skills
sessions that it's it's it's this moment
of like realization I'll be in a room I
was in a room recently with um uh a
group of lawyers uh and I was thinking
they're going to be are they going to be
open it was a group of lawyers talking
about confidence and I was like are they
going to be open to talking about this
and we talked about the confidence
Gremlins and I got everyone to um put
their hands up every time they're
identified with one of the Gremlins um
and they were putting their hands up in
the room they were all obviously looking
at each other in the room and then we
went through all the 10 most common
confidence Gremlins and I said and and
what what does this all make you think
what you've just seeing each other put
your hands up what does it make you
think and they um they were like oh
we've all got Gremlins and then they all
sort of laughed and then it was like
this relief it was like oh I'm I'm not
the the only one so when you're thinking
about your next career move take a
moment to remember that even the most
qualified people have doubts and
anxieties so don't let those doubts and
anxieties hold you back from going after
a job that's going to make you happier
everyone around you is experiencing a
similar thing and collectively we can
all help each other reach our goals
because it's really not worth missing
out on some great opportunities just
because you're too scared to go after
them if you like this video you're going
to absolutely love the full episode that
I did with Helen you can check that out
by clicking the link right over here so
thank you so much for watching have a
lovely day and I hope you man to figure
out what to finally do with your career
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