Jobs from scratch: Factors for filtering toward viable directions
Once you’ve established a rhythm for consistent exploration toward an ideal career, how do you narrow the growing list of things you decide you might enjoy? Sometimes ideas look great on paper and in theory, but how do you measure them against reality without relying totally on time- consuming, expensive, and sometimes heartbreaking personal experience? What are the invisible factors under the surface that could help us make the wisest choices possible?
Six itemed Food for thought toward practical fit
Paperwork: If I was really in this position, how much paperwork would actually be involved? How do I feel about that? Can I see myself completing that amount in a consistent and timely manner while still having room for a productive personal life including rest, family time, socializing, and exercise?
Typical environment: If I was really in this position, what kind of setting would I be in most of the time? Would I be indoors, outdoors, or a mixture of both. If it would be a mixture, how much of each? Would I have plenty of office space to myself, or would I be in close quarters with other coworkers? What effect would this have on the noise level around me? How productive can I see myself being in those surroundings?
Mobility- If I was really in this position, would I report to the same physical location each day or would I move from place to place? If mobility was a factor, would I move from place to place throughout the course of one day, or would I stay in one physical location the whole day? How do I feel about that situation,and how productive can I see myself being within that specific aspect of this position?
Stuff- If I was really in this position and I had to move from location to location, would I be in charge of ensuring a specific and uninterrupted work space was actually available to me at each location at the time I planned to use it? Also, would I be responsible for transporting personal work items from location to location with me? How many personal work materials would that be? When you answer these questions and picture yourself in the midst of them, how do you feel about that reality? How productive can you see yourself under these specific conditions of the position?
Meetings- If I was really in this position, how many meetings would I have to attend in a given week or month? How long would each one be and in what format (ie. would I be a passive participant, expected to actively ask questions, or expected to actively contribute ideas?) How much preparation and or follow through would be expected of me in conjunction with these meetings? What setting would these meetings be in? (ie. zoom, in person, conference room, speaker/audience set up…). Would these meetings require me to reserve time, gas, and navigating traffic to attend and or travel back to my individual work?
Reports: If I was really in this position, how many reports would I be responsible for preparing each week/month? How much preparation/follow up/addendum time and energy would be involved? What form would the delivery of the information take (ie personally and verbally presenting, emailing, etc. ). If I were responsible for personally relaying the information, what kind of technology would I need to be familiar with in order to do so? How much notice would I be given before the report was due? How do I feel about the answers I pertained? How productive can I see myself being under these specific conditions?
To wrap up, it's easy for us, as adhders, to get excited about so many different employment ideas that we can become overwhelmed. However, the above questions can help us narrow that list down to things that are most likely to be a good fit not only with our talents and interests but also with the way our unique brains and bodies operate, increasing the chances of thriving within the choices we end up actively pursuing. Stay tuned for next time on sifting out the workable aspects from the not so workable aspects within each option.