Career Discovery and Planning
Alumni: Current Trends/Balancing Career and Home

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It is not unusual for Penn grads who have been working for a few years to consider switching gears. As your career develops, you may find that you are no longer challenged by your current work and that you are yearning to go in a new direction. Or you may have been forced to make a change if you were victim to a company layoff. Or you may want a work environment that offers you more flexible work hours because of personal reasons. Career dissatisfaction is probably the most common reason why people seek to switch their line of work, so take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. However, changing careers often causes people to feel frustrated and discouraged because it takes time and preparation. Avoid making a hasty decision about your next career move by allowing yourself both time and energy to evaluate your goals carefully. Look at a career change as an opportunity for a better match between you and your employer. Focus on your interests, values, skills and accomplishments and how they might lead to an optimal work setting. A change in your professional life can be energizing, but be patient, getting there is not a simple process.

Current Trends

In the past twenty-five years, drastic changes in the national and international economies have directly impacted the employment picture. Massive restructuring of corporate America, downsizing of federal and state governments and cyclical economic downturns, have resulted in the elimination of entire layers of management, departments and even economic sectors and industries. Employees, once wedded to companies or organizations for the duration of their work life, are now confronted with a more volatile job market. It is not uncommon for individuals to change careers once, twice, and even three times in a lifetime and projections for the future predict even more changes.

Success and satisfaction in employment today require flexible and creative thinking and the development of a broad range of skills. Career decisions should be based upon an understanding of one's talents, skills, interests, family/work balance and, of course, employment trends.

Balancing Career & Home

One common issue that often contributes to job dissatisfaction and the desire to make a career change is a lack of balance between work and personal life. The relationship between the two constantly changes throughout one's career. It is often affected by major life transitions such as marriage, divorce, parenting, aging parents, or coping with illness or the death of a close friend or family member. Career or financial demands, compelling avocations, or a desire for more time to perform community and church volunteer activities can also affect the balance between career and home. This effort to achieve a satisfying equilibrium can be enormously stressful and is often not supported or sufficiently acknowledged in our culture.

It may help to discuss a reordering of your priorities with a partner, relative, close friend or clergyperson. You may also want to consult with a career counselor for advice about a career change and job search strategies. Alumni can make a telephone or in-person appointment with a counselor at Career Services. However, you may prefer to seek on-going career counseling in the area where you live. Information on job seeker support groups can frequently be found in the CareerJournal.com. For individuals living in Delaware County, placement/career counseling resources are available (www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/staff/delvalleycareerservices.htm)

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