I went from being an Oxford University Medical Student doubting my career choice to working as a Doctor & starting my own business (but still having career doubts) to eventually finding the courage to create a career of my dreams. 

The irony is despite what the word "dreams" implies it definitely didn't happen overnight.... It took a lot of nights for me personally (over 5 years in fact). 

It took me time to understand what I did/didn't like. It took me time to discover what I was/wasn't good at. It took me time to realise what I could/couldn't achieve. 

What helped me to do this?

There were 3 key things that I did that I would recommend anyone questioning their career to start doing....

I started to off-load thoughts and feelings I was having about my career onto paper. 

I can't begin to explain how this helped me to find a lot more clarity in my thoughts. 

They went from being a tangle of mess in my brain (like a pair of headphones you've found in the bottom of your bag from 2018) to perfectly laid out. 

I would journal to help myself express thoughts and feelings I was having, as well as answer questions that I needed to ask myself. 

It's a technique I now ask anyone I'm coaching through their own career doubts to try and they always return with out fail, expressing how much it has helped them. 

You really don't know the power of journalling until you try. 

I began reading about different career options and things I needed to consider about my own career... 

This came from various resources including self-help books to more careers specific resources that I found through Google searches. 

There wasn't a particular resource I used but whenever I had a doubt or a question about a career I would start being more proactive in trying to find an answer... 

There is so much information online and it is amazing how much you can learn following a quick Google search. 

The only difficulty with searching for information online is that it can be at times difficult to ensure the quality of the information you are reading is any good... 

I tried to overcome this where possible by reading information from multiple sources. 

This process takes time, I can't deny that but it also teaches you a lot about things you don't know. 

It is essential to gather information for yourself in this way because you need this information to help you make an informed decision about your career choice. 

You can try making a decision about your career with limited knowledge but the risk associated with this is very high! 

You really could find yourself moving from one job to another which isn't any better.

I would instead really encourage you to actively try to find information you need about different careers or the options available to you by reading & researching. 

This information won't find you.... you will need to actively start looking. 

Lastly, as well as reading & researching for information I also started to talk to others. 

This is one way in which I tried to make sure I wasn't receiving misinformation from online sources... 

As they say, the best information is information that comes straight from the source so this is what I started to try to find. 

How did I do this in practice? 

I started to talk more and more to people about their careers. 

I would speak to my colleagues about my career doubts and see if they had had any similar thoughts or considerations. 

I would reach out to others who were working in industries/careers I was considering to see if they could give me a better insight and understanding about the job I was considering. 

I would ask friends/family if they had any particular thoughts about things that I would/wouldn't excel at based on their better understanding of me & my personality. 

It really can feel so lonely and isolating when you are considering a career change or doubting the career you are currently in... I can't begin to explain how much better I felt when I was telling people about my doubts. They would often be very supportive, at times they could relate and there were even occasions where they had a contact that turned out to be very helpful to speak to. 

As I've already mentioned, the most helpful thing about talking to others is trying to get more accurate information about a different career. 

I really would encourage anyone considering a different career to talk to someone already in that career. 

Try to find someone who is most closely doing what you want to do and ask them the questions or reservations you have... they will be most qualified to tell you but please do be mindful that everyone's responses will be filled with opinions & judgement as well as facts. 

Try to gain as many facts as possible because everyone's opinion/judgement will be different. 

I used these 3 techniques to help me answer questions I needed to answer to help guide me with my career decision (I've talked in a previous post about some of the different questions I asked myself). 

It is hard when you're questioning your career to know what to do next and it is even harder trying to find your dream career. 

I honestly think that finding a career which is the "perfect fit" is a bit like dating, we have to kiss a few "career frogs" to understand what is/isn't right for us. 

These 3 things really helped me to do this even without actually going through the process of "trying" different careers (something which is largely quite difficult as a doctor). I would really encourage anyone having doubts to do the same.

Did you know I offer 1:1 coaching to help others make changes in their lives? This can be related to careers, starting a business or forming healthier habits. Please just send me an email directly to elle@gabrielletodd.com if this is something you feel you would benefit from & would like to learn more about.