What are the most effective methods for making a difficult career decision?

I remember early in my career having someone tell me about an approach used by Benjamin Franklin. It involved making a list of all the pros and cons relating to a major life decision. And then also considering whether the impact of the pros and cons were short term or long term. It was surprising how this often shifted my perspective. Often the cons were short term and the pros were longer term. It reminds me of the phrase ‘Don’t sacrifice what you want the most for what you want in the moment.’ Other good advice I received was to never make a major decision when you’re feeling extremely emotional. If you’re feeling the same when the strong emotions have passed, that’s a better time to act

As Steven Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People drilled in me, start with eh END in mind!! If you don't where you're going, doesn't matter where you are at!! One point doesn't give you anything, two points give you direction (beginning and end).

The best strategy to make a difficult career decision may be initiated by identifying our values, interests, and skills. Knowing what is important to us and what we enjoy doing can help us narrow down our career options and make a more informed decision. Besides, we will need to research different career paths and gather information about the job market, salary, and required education or training. This can help us make a more realistic assessment of our options and avoid making a decision based on incomplete or inaccurate information.

Making a hard career decision is like finding the perfect flower bouquet. Your first step is to carefully handpick the flowers that will make up your future identity and how will they represent YOU. Consider your personal and professional interests, skills, values, and passions as the different types of flowers in the shop. Your strengths and weaknesses are like the colors and sizes of the blossoms available. Challenges and opportunities represent the various arrangements and designs you can create. By crafting a clear set of criteria, you can assemble a career decision bouquet that truly aligns with your values. Balance the artistry of your emotions with the logic of your criteria, and draw upon the bouquet of previous experiences.

Navigating challenging career decisions can feel like standing at a crossroads, uncertain which path to choose. One method I've found effective is self-reflection: setting aside quiet moments to consider what genuinely aligns with my values and long-term aspirations. Speaking to someone I trust, be it a mentor, colleague, or friend, also offers fresh perspectives. They can share experiences I might not have considered. Additionally, I try creating a pro-con list. It sounds simple, but visualizing the potential outcomes of each option can be enlightening. And lastly, I give myself permission to change my mind. Sometimes, what seems like the right decision today may evolve, and that's okay. It's all a part of our personal growth journey.

SWOT Analysis, you got to love it!! Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats It's a full 360 coverage that stands on how you will chart your path to your destination.

Comparing and ranking can be very effective. It’s good to assess and look at both ends of the equation. At the end of the day, you have to make sure it’s in your best interests.

Take a decision and live it, if nothing else, you would definitely get experience. I believe and follow the 'The Road not Taken' by Robert Frost and that gives a direction 1st pivot started off as a Mining Engr, worked in field operations, new mines commissioning, process set ups gen mgmt, planning & execution. 2. After my MBA joined a Consulting firm. Got experience to world class IT delivery practices, team management, SAP platforms, ERPs, business development, pre-sales etc 3. Role to build digital capability in Mining and Natural Resources industry, worked in global environment, extensive travel, client support, immense learning, thought leadership in digital 4. CXO role in digital business transformation, mining, metal, mfg industries

I remind people that we are meant to evolve, to be interested and learn new things, and to seek diverse tasks and perhaps occupations. Making a career change can be overwhelming but understanding that it’s probably desired by more people than we know may help us find comfort in knowing we aren’t alone. I worked hard and long to become a physician, only to later pursue entrepreneurship, which ended up bringing me to lead an impact-driven venture capital firm. I used to question myself on how I made a mistake in picking a career that didn’t stick, but now I know it has been a perfect pathway for me, as we are meant to keep learning and evolving. I wish you the best and know that you aren’t alone!

Just before launching Tandem, I faced a pivotal moment. The company I worked for seemed to have lost faith in my potential. Though I was performing well, a sense of incompleteness gnawed at me. Simultaneously, I was about to become a father for the first time. These two factors converged, pushing me toward a new direction - starting my own venture. The impending responsibility of fatherhood was the driving force. To embark on a career change, you must first pinpoint your motivation. Is it financial gain, career growth, or something else? Regardless, commit wholeheartedly to your decision. Half-hearted efforts yield only half-baked results. Starting Tandem in 2006 was one of the highlights of my career, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

What you plan to do NEXT; try I NOW. Testing NEXT in NOW; has been the greatest Career Development hack for me. I have undergone Career pivot twice. From a highly specialised role of making Masterplanning Guidelines for Smart Cities of the Future in India; I became the Professional Development Expert for the Smart Professionals in my country. A non-MBA i have no clue about running a business, but I wanted to have something of my own “world class” to serve my countrymen. My motto was Grow2Give But since I had no clue & was going round & round on how to make the dream into reality. A friend suggested to start doing GROW2GIVE within another establishment where I was assisting pro-bono & test the principle. I worked. Rest is history

Let’s be free enough not to consider our Learnings ( earlier) as impediment to New Learnings ( new career). Each man’s journey is unique. 😊

Think of decision-making as exploring the Universe. Your initial emotional response to a choice is like the pull of a distant star—a gut feeling that resonates with you even when you can't exactly explain it. Just as astronomers use telescopes to gather additional insights, engage your rational mind to assess options more closely. It's like studying celestial bodies for specifics, feasibility, and potential outcomes. Balancing your emotional pull with rational analysis is like navigating the cosmic journey of decisions. Together, they guide you toward choices aligned with your desires and values, unveiling 'stellar' decisions in life's ever-expanding cosmos. As humans we tend to make an emotional decision just to rationalize it later.