Do all things happen for a reason? In this time of
world upheaval it can be hard to say for sure.
But what about the world of careers? What is "career"?
Many might define it as some kind of professional
work and identity, arrived at via a carefully laid
out path of goal-setting, educational achievement,
and professional accomplishment. A result of keeping
one’s eye on the ball, remaining focused,
and staying the course. I talked to one Northern
California career counselor about this notion of "career," and
the role of chance in what has traditionally been
thought of as a consciously choice-driven process.
Constance Stevens, career counselor in Davis, California, is convinced
that something like chance does indeed play an important role. She
calls it "career serendipity." She defines career serendipity
as doing things for yourself and your career that are not linear – going
outside your comfort zone, doing something that is unusual for you,
maybe paralleling another interest that does not seem at once related
to your professional goals.
Linear activities involve the things we readily think of as career-building
strategies: attending professional seminars, networking, conducting
informational interviews . . . Non-linear activities include following
your intuition with no plan in sight, picking up a book you had not
considered reading, or doing something like attending a class completely
outside your field (watercoloring, accounting, computer science . .
. ). Constance believes you can actually develop your career by taking
yoga. Who knows whom you might meet, or what kind of mind clarity you
will be able to achieve, or what innovative ideas might germinate?
The "strategy" is to put creativity back into the process
and your work.
Constance is inspired by H.B. Gelatt’s Rules of the Road. #1:
Try to find things you’re not looking for. According to H.B.: "Serendipity
is another way to understand this new rule. Serendipity is when you
discover something good while seeking something else. But it isn’t
just a happy accident; it requires that you seek something and be receptive
to something else."
We all seek something in our careers, to be sure. But are we open and
receptive to those "something else’s"? And, perhaps
more importantly, do we really put ourselves out there, and stretch
our capabilities? Constance talks of the power of pollination and cross-pollination,
how we can teach and nurture and inspire and educate each other on
so many levels. Sometimes this process is purposeful and directly related
to our careers, sometimes it’s just a result of our "putting
it out to the universe," or "stirring the pot," as she
likes to say.
Constance recalls many instances when she has benefited greatly by
meeting someone or learning something new under unexpected circumstances.
She also acknowledges it can be tough to always remain open and willing
to circulate outside our immediate circles of activities, coworkers,
colleagues and friends. As working professionals we are often busy,
tired, preoccupied. It can be hard to find the energy to open our vision,
widen our focus, and push the envelope of our work-life.
But, says Constance, when we can truly embrace the both/and – the
linear and the non-linear – in our work-life process, we can indeed
boost our career serendipity and increase the chance that good things
will happen in our careers.
