What To Do When Career Decisions Are Made For You

Recently, a decision about the direction of my career was made by someone other than me (I was fired). This stung like the dickens. I was very passionate about my position, worked hard, and was under the impression that things were going well.

But the reality is that none of that really matters. The decision was made, and I had to live with it right then and there whether I liked it or not.

When something like this happens, even if you don't see it coming, there are a few things that might happen next.

1. You might get angry.

2. You might begin a spiral into self-doubt.

3. You might want an explanation, either from others or yourself.

4. You might even immediately realize you're better off.

5. Some combination of the above.

I was in the camp of #5. At first, I was really angry about the situation. I suspected this was a personal attack on me and had less to do with my performance and more to do with personalities not necessarily meshing well. I assumed this because everyone else I spoke with in the company was just as shocked at my departure as I was. What followed was a few weeks of doubting myself, my business acumen and abilities, my experience, and everything I had learned up to that point in my career. Eventually I got out of that rut, and began to realize that I had not been very happy with the direction of the company for quite some time. I could have made it work, obviously. But just 'making it work' isn't what I had always had in mind for the trajectory of my career.

At the end of the day, the important things I learned from this experience were that I had learned something about myself and others, that my world and career didn't stop with this event, and that there were many more opportunities out there for me to pursue. It also truly gave me the chance to sit down and think about what I was trying to accomplish, what I wanted out of a career, and what I was most passionate about.

If you find yourself in the situation described above, please make sure to reassess your goals, what you could have done differently (if anything), and stay determined to continue moving forward to your next big thing. You will be stronger and wiser for it. -EB