Does answering generic or philosophical will help taro users?
I have seen and red most of the Q&A by Alex. It seems like the answers are too generic as we have already seen on LinkedIn or any blogs. I don't see much resolution in terms of q&a like how a person struggling with role or ambiguities in professional area with skills can resolve or atleast mitigate the problem.
Instead of generic answers, can we get a answers which can help professionals with right set of actions or priorities.
Discussion
(2 comments)- 5a year agoSenior Software Engineer at IBM
I think that's the trouble with the professional life for the most part. Professional growth has no road map, no keeping score, no trophies, and even mentors might not have as deep knowledge as you might expect. Coworkers or friends will each have their opinions for you too and it's up to you to listen or ignore as appropriate. Envision what you really want and have longed for. I'm meant to be a C-level executive and data scientist in my own career and I'm meant to establish philanthropic pipelines that arise from my work to keep people safe long after I'm gone. Listen to that internal hum and let it drive you. I know when I didn't I hit the worst patches of my life.
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a year agoPrincipal Director at CapgeminiIt sounds like you are looking for coaching and/or mentorship services. To be fair, there's only so much anyone can help you with without much context (only so much can be captured in a single question). General guidance and a gut-check on whether you are headed down the right path is extremely helpful IMO. It can also help you see things from a different POV, as someone who is not in the thick of it can minimize your blind spots.
A couple practical suggestions to get more of what you're looking for:
- Ask a follow up question to continue the dialogue after the initial response. Ask clarifying questions and go deeper on parts that are the most relevant to you. You will in turn, share more context, which will help the other person hone in their advice.
- If you've tried #1 and the other person is willing, ask for a 15 min chat 1-1. Keep in mind that the value you get is directly proportional to how much of groundwork you've done prior to the meeting.
- I've searched for career coaches in the past and it's really hard to find one. The main issue I find it that you need a couple sessions before they can help you in a tactical way (again to absorb context and establish rapport). This is a high effort, high return type of investment, so explore other options first (e.g. #1 & #2) before this.
- I find that I solve some of my own problem by engaging in the prep work required for each step listed above. It forces you to reflect and has a "rubberduck" effect.
One final thought: most of the time high level advice feels 'philosophical' because the first-hand practical experience of going through that scenario is missing,. Often times, my mentees come back to me after a substantial period of time ranging from 6 months to 3 years, where they had a completely different POV of the 'philosophical' advice given at the time.
