This week, Turg and Randy Z take a moment out of the interview schedule to go back to basics and discuss careers and pathways in more depth than ever before.

Is spending too much time at one career stop a bad thing?

Randy mulls over the past 10 years of his career at the same place. It’s a bit of knowing you are in the right place and a little bit of complacency. But, with the comfort comes benefit and sacrifice. It’s up to you to determine what is worth more at this point in your life. Is it worth starting over, or is it worth staying and growing in one place? Turg contrasts the last 4 years of career growth and challenges. There is a lot of change that comes with starting over so frequently, so when do you stop and ‘smell the roses’? Does it ever end?

When we take time to reflect – what do we find as the result of our thoughts and ambitions?

Turg shares his experiences in speaking with other people on LinkedIn as he has found a new ‘calling’ as a self-proclaimed career coach of sorts. And within the recent dialogue, Turg shares a story about one of his LinkedIn interactions that stood out and serves as inspiration for him to reconsider the career path he’s chosen. Seeking out others online – especially people you don’t know – is sometimes a good strategy to get some real-time feedback without judgement. Have you ever considered going out of your ‘local’ network to find advice about your job or entrepreneurial aspirations? 

Why is it so hard to take your own advice?

New conversations always bring about this revelation. So, why is it that we can never seem to find the answer? Why is it that it’s so much easier to watch others succeed rather than to try and succeed within our own world? Of course, every circumstance is different and offers its own set of challenges. Some people are just more risk averse than others and some people plain don’t care about the risk or even considering it and just take a leap of faith simply based on confidence. 

So in the end, how do I figure out what I really want to do?

This is a challenging question that we can never really answer for you. But, here are some things you have to consider when contemplating your current situation (if you’re not already self-employed):

• Do you want to feel fulfilled as part of an established enterprise?
• Do you want to feel that sense of collaborative validation?
• Do you feel like you’ve learned enough throughout your career to do it “on your own” as an entrepreneur? 
• Do you know the risks associated with your decisions to stay or “go” and have you realistically evaluated them from every angle? 
• Can you really account for every factor in your life that may impact your success? (The real answer here is NO, but it doesn’t hurt to ask…)

And of course, while we are always advocating finding your self and doing something you love – pursue the most realistic approach; something that works for you. In the end, if you’re not happy – reach out and find a support system that will help you see, learn and grow more.