Unsure of Your Next Career Move? Here’s the Cure:

— Action cures indecision —

Reader Darcy ’s comment describing her decision to pursue an MBA made me snap to attention:

I started the program because I did not know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go, but I felt like I needed to do something to progress …

Not knowing what we want is normal. This soul-affirming truth was explored in our three-part series titled A Message to Those Confused about Career Direction. We also examined the common — but misleading — notion of pursuing one’s “passion” as a career, and the idea that multiple occupations may be more appropriate for some.

But what do we do when we find ourselves at a career crossroads, unsure as to our next move?

Darcy has a terrific answer:

I think sometimes taking some kind of positive action, even if it is not clear why you are doing it or if it is even the right action, will help opportunities come to light that you would not have seen if you had done nothing at all.

Unbeknownst to her, Darcy had neatly articulated, more plainly and compellingly than its author, Clark’s Option on Opportunities Theory.

Option on Opportunities Theory, one of Clark’s Rules, says that one must take action in order to create new opportunities. Regardless of whether it is immediately profitable or not, action tends to create new options (opportunities) that one can subsequently “exercise” at one’s discretion. Without action, new options are unlikely to arise.

The value of a new opportunity is rarely quantifiable, but is likely to be significant — and more importantly, unavailable without “exercising the option.”

Thus, when one is unsure what to do, action — almost any action — furnishes the cure. Action cures indecision.

I’m struggling for a snappy ending here, and can’t think of one. So I’ll close by saying thanks, Darcy, for the inspiration, and for an important reminder about the remedy for career uncertainty:

Action cures indecision.

You may also enjoy:

“What Am I Doing With My Life?”

“Recognizing the Opportunity Within” or Cunningham’s Corollary to Clark’s Construct Concerning Corporate Compensation

“A Message to Those Confused About Career Direction”

“Are You an Amateur? Why Not?“