I Don't Want To Make The Same Mistake.

Question:  I've not long returned from an overseas holiday and I can't get excited about being back at work. I don't know for sure what would be a more suitable career choice but I am certain that what I'm doing now is a bad match. A counselling type of job appeals to me but I would feel more confident if I had some way of figuring out if my personality is compatible. I don't want to make the same mistake of studying and training several years for something that turns out to feel wrong.

Answer (1)  There are organisations and individuals who provide Vocational Counselling and Vocational Assessments. Without going into a lot of detail, this form of counselling and/or assessment aims to provide a person with clarity and hopefully eases their decision around their vocational choice. It can come across as being prescriptive but it is best if it is treated as a process to illuminate a person's work related attributes and options. Also, what springs to mind is this... Your holiday was an experience which cannot be replicated nor transferred here. If there is a quality of attachment to this experience then this may be why you are not able to be fully present to the job you are currently performing. Hope this helps in your quest for a good fit between you and the world of work.

Answer provided by Brian Whiter

Answer (2)  Go and see a credibly trained therapist and discuss the realities and possibilities. Any training course worth the time and money will include an obligatory personal therapy in any case and you could start by exploring your motivations for considering this sort of work and discover whether or not you would be suitable for such a career change in fairly short order.

Answer provided by David White, Psychotherapist