5 Major Questions to Ask Yourself On The Verge of Your Professional Leap

Reaching that moment in life when you need to make some major decisions is never easy – we often feel anxious, overwhelmed and rather uncertain whether we’d manage to choose what’s best for us. Oftentimes many of those important decisions have to do with professional development – so in today’s article, I’ve decided to discuss 5 major questions anyone needs to address and answer.

Implementing professional development decisions is certainly not easy – perhaps the majority of us feel incredibly doubtful when it comes to choosing our field of expertise, our specific job and the role we want our job to play in general in life for us. All those questions are certainly crucial and the earlier you manage to find your personal responses, the easiest and more satisfactory your whole journey would be.

So, without any further ado, let’s jump straight into the subject of today’s article: Upon the verge of your professional leap and soul-searching, what are the most important questions you should ask yourself and seek to find the answers?

Why Is Even Question-Asking Important When It Comes to Professional Development?

See, a person’s professional development is one of the major pillars of their life in general. While we focus on personal development, socializing and spending quality time for ourselves in terms of hobbies, our profession is the next big thing the great majority of us witness throughout our lifetime.

That said, it would be rather naïve to consider that it doesn’t matter in the bigger picture – many people share they’ve developed feelings of depression, despair and anxiety due to profession-driven matters. What’s more, being successful and content with our job is definitely one of the main reasons people feel good about themselves and their life in general.

So to keep avoiding all the important major questions that have to do with our professional development is simply a recipe for long-term dissatisfaction. After all, we spend a great deal of our day at work – it would be a shame if we leave those hours to be unfulfilling and miserable.

That’s why I’ve conducted 5 major questions that are profession-related – take your time, pick a comforting place in quiet and try searching for your answers to those. I’m accenting on “yours” – most of the time we could be rather influenced by our social circle, society in general or by the hustle culture that gains more and more popularity by the minute. So to be truthful and honest with yourself is the best strategy for long-term happiness, regardless of how other people define success.

Let’s get down to it!

5 Major Questions That Will Define Your Future Career Path

1. What do you believe is meant for you in terms of career choice? Let me give you a disclaimer beforehand – this question may arise at any life stage – don’t feel pressured to be ready with the answer right after high school or college. Certainly, if you are aware of what you want to achieve professionally, this would greatly determine your future education but things change, and people change. Since you’d be a different person by the time you are 20 and 35, it’s quite normal for your professional aspirations to also change. Nevertheless, you should remember that you need to follow your inner passion and pursue a career you’d be rather fond of, as opposed to sticking to a job that doesn’t make you happy. So sit down and reflect on your career choices and be honest – what’s the job that will truly describe who you are as an expert?
2. Would you rather be a business owner or an employee? This is one of the major questions that will also shape the way of your professional development. As nowadays pretty much everybody has the chance to pursue entrepreneurship, so it’s important to be aware of what position would best rock your boat career-wise. Do you see yourself as someone who is productive and determined enough to run an enterprise? Or perhaps you are the type of person who prefers clear and distinct instructions and is an excellent doer?
3. Do you see yourself in the 9 to 5 work schedule or do you prefer a more flexible professional approach? Similar to entrepreneurship, these days more and more people are opting for hybrid offices or remote work. Outweigh the pros and cons of both models and determine which one serves you justice. If needed, try them out both so you see how they affect you in reality.
4. Are you a team player or do you thrive more professionally when going solo? Being introverted or extroverted is a key characteristic here as it can drastically outline your future job pursuit. Imagine yourself working in a room full of people, conducting tasks together with your team. If this sounds great, then you have your answer. If your heart skips a beat instead, then perhaps you need to seek a position that requires solo work above anything else.
5. Is climbing the professional hierarchy important to you? Whether or not you’re career-driven is yet another crucial point in the “major questions” list. If you define success by frequently getting promoted and being in charge of teams, then you’d quickly know which company can offer you this. On the other hand, you might be someone who prefers familiarity and comfort – knowing this will help you not compare yourself with your hierarchy-climbing social circle and colleagues.

Of course, there are tons of other career-related major questions that need your attention but starting off with these five is absolutely essential. Based on your answers you’d be able to determine which path to take and what goal you need to pinpoint when it comes to your professional development. Got any questions? I’m here to hear all about your professional struggles and offer useful advice.