Pulling it all together

As the year comes to close, it's time to take an inventory of all that I've done for the year and go over the checklist to see what I've accomplished. Well okay, I don't really have a checklist.

This was a year that started off with a layoff, and then I ended up in outplacement and landed a contract with them! Not the usual path, but you have to look at opportunities when they come up.

I like to say that you need a path to follow to manage your career. Was this my plan? No way. But like any snowball thrown at you, you need to adapt. Sometimes I made quick changes and other times I took some time to map out the next step.

When you're thrown off the path and not by your my own choice, it can stall you or derail you. Maybe only for a little time, but then you have to get back on it and get going. I jumped onto the contract role; it was only part time, but it was related to where my path was taking me. I had been looking to move into a Human Resources type role, so career transition consulting was a good fit.

I thought at the time early this year that this would be a stop-gap measure. I would find that next great job and work happily ever after. Didn't quite work out that way. And I've loved it! The job, the people, the whole experience.

My immediate need was to ensure that the finances were covered, and the contract helped with that. Unfortunately the severance didn't last too long. It was done by the time I started working. It was part time and this gave me the time to continue my search for a full time role.

So now the seed was planted that perhaps I could manage working independently and just do contracts to keep me busy. I didn't really need the benefits, and I certainly should see by now that full time jobs are no more secure than anything else.

The year is coming to a close and I sit back to review how my year has played out. I took 3 courses in Life Skills Coaching at George Brown College, and I will get my certificate soon. I attained my Nutrition and Wellness certification, took a course on designing training and started the HR certificate program at Ryerson University.

It's been a busy a year. I see it as 'my year' to focus on me and doing all the courses added to my growth and, I was hoping, would put me back on my path.

I did note that there were many threads in common across all the classes I took. Each time I took a new class, the same topics kept coming up. It made me realize that everything somehow all comes together.

I grew my network, and met lots of amazing people this year. Many I would never have met if I hadn't been laid off and taken all these courses. The training was great, but the relationships and concepts were what really added to my path.

Perhaps all my various paths are coming together to lead me to some great new place. Maybe that full time job is around the corner. And all that I've gained this year and that's brought me to where I am right now, has all been part of my new converging path.

I still keep an eye open for the right opportunity to come along; with the right fit, growth potential, and all the great engagement values I'm looking for to start a long term investment. Until that happens, I'll keep adding to my path and looking for turns and twists that will add more to my travel.

I guess the journey is the important thing, but I still want to know what the destination is!