At the start of your career making the right decisions and choosing a career that you love and will find rewarding until retirement is not easy. In our youth we may have lots of interests and it is a challenge to choose a career that focuses on just one area.
During an established career you may be at a crossroad with different opportunities, or you may find that your career choice is less than satisfying and begin to feel job burnout after many years of work in the same field. This type of job stress can cause you to feel less productive, with increased illnesses and absences, which can lead to additional problems at work.
In this economy it is common for businesses to experience restructuring or downsizing at some point, which may force a career change that would not have been chosen otherwise. This can be quite stressful, causing a negative effect in your personal life, creating strains on your relationships and causing you to feel adrift and depressed.
Retirement may be a time that you look forward to – to be able to spend time fishing, or finally take that trip that you have longed for, but the transition is not as simple as you planned. You may feel lonely and miss the daily routine of going to work.
At any time that you experience career difficulties it is helpful to talk to a professional that can provide career counseling, to discuss your motivations, thoughts and feelings and determine the correct course of action. Supportive counseling can help you to sort through internal struggles that can hold you back and prevent you from being the best that you can be. Vocational counseling can also help to determine the correct career path when you are just choosing your career or when you have to choose another course for your life.