The Unexpected Benefits of Getting Creative with Career Goals
“We think we might want one thing, but once we start the process, our interests are clarified and might even shift in another direction toward something we realize we are more passionate about.”
Photo by Janelle Pol
Creativity is not a word I have historically used in my vocabulary to describe myself. I’m so left-brained it isn’t funny. I like structure, predictability, and routine because they give me a sense of safety. Creativity doesn’t typically fall into “routine” and “predictability.” However, I knew that it would take creativity to determine my next major career moves.
At the end of 2019, I was laid off from working at a mental health partial care program — essentially a day program for mental health clients. I worked there for over four years and learned a lot. Sadly, the program was closed by the operating company due to a lack of funds. Once that happened, I started looking for new opportunities.
I became aware of many great openings in my area that were interesting, and others that I could cross off the list right away. In 2020, I gave birth to our second child and started my maternity leave just as COVID shut down the greater NYC area. It was a strange time for all of us.
BEING UNSURE
Fast forward to the summer and fall of 2020. I resumed my job applications and filed for unemployment after my maternity leave ended. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for in terms of a job. I knew I wanted to get practical knowledge providing individual therapy; my past employment consisted mostly of providing group therapy and case management services. I believed that gaining more experience in individual therapy would help me to become a well-rounded counselor. I just wasn’t sure it was what I really wanted to do.
I went on several job interviews towards the end of 2020. I met many interesting people and had very positive interviews and discussions that resulted in callbacks. I also received a few job offers. It was nice to feel like a competitive candidate and to have choices. However, one main question still loomed over me: what did I truly want from a job?
I was fortunate enough that I could choose a job based on the professional skills I wanted to hone. I realize this is a privilege, one I hadn’t had before and that I know many would like to have. I didn’t take it lightly.
Countless discussions with my husband, a lot of thinking, and many prayers later, I concluded that I really did want to pursue individual counseling experience. I thought it was funny that it took a few job interviews and contemplation to come to that conclusion. But isn’t that representative of so many life decisions? We think we might want one thing, but once we start the process, our interests are clarified and might even shift in another direction toward something we realize we are more passionate about.
BEING CREATIVE
Being “creative” with this job search, I learned to take each step with patience and rest in the belief that it’s okay to not see the end result — or even know what the end result might look like. I’m learning that planning isn’t the only way to figure out where we are meant to be.
Being creative, for this process, means thinking outside the box and considering options we might not have considered before. In these unusual times, many of us are having to get creative with our approach to our careers and life work. But as I’ve learned, this can be a very helpful process that yields unexpected benefits that can last for years.
How about you? Has the pandemic forced you to step back and take a fresh look at your career? I encourage you to take a “blue sky” approach to your work, and think creatively about what you enjoy, as well as your talents, skills and life experience. How might you be creative with your next career move? Who knows? This could be the start of something entirely new and exciting for you.
Carly Graham is a licensed professional counselor in northern New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies from James Madison University and a Master of Arts in Biblical counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary. She currently provides counseling services to women who are walking through postpartum depression, infertility, miscarriage, and infant loss. She and her husband Jonathan live in New Jersey with their two sons.