For many people, work is a major part of life. It often occupies over one-third of a person’s waking life for 40 years or more. When there are problems with work, a person may feel stressed, anxious, depressed, empty or directionless about life. Career issues can take many different forms, including dissatisfaction with job, work-related stress, and uncertainty about career choices, unemployment, and burnout. Even for people who don’t work outside of the home, taking care of family members is still work, and being a homemaker or a stay-at-home parent is still a career choice.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
At times career issues stem from the work environment, e.g., overly demanding workload or expectations, or work settings that may be hostile, unethical, overly-competitive, or otherwise unhealthy or even toxic. At other times, career issues may originate from a mismatch between a person’s job and his or her personality, interests, skills, or values. A person may have chosen a career based on the expectations of self, parents, peers, or societal values, rather than what is truly fitting given the person’s own unique attributes. Negative childhood experiences may have hindered a person’s development of self-knowledge, sense of identity, or academic and occupational skills, leading to suboptimal career choices and outcomes. Relational issues may also exist between an employee and his or her manager, peers or subordinates. Sometimes problems at work can also be manifestations of a person’s broader emotional or mental issues, e.g. problems with relational styles, communication skills, belief patterns, depression, anxiety, or personality disorders.
If you think you need a career change, or need help navigating any of these career related challenges, please call us at (515) 727-1338 or fill out our online form to request an appointment and one of our staff will contact you in regards to setting up a time to meet with one of our trained counselors.