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Why Am I Afraid of Elevating My Job Title: Evaluating My Ambitions
I am exploring the fears I face as I continue my job search in a field I have worked in for the last 20 years. In the original post, I identified three fears that grip me and have influenced my job search over the past few years. Some of the fears are decades-long, while others are more recent fears. But all of them have influenced my career development.
As I jump back into the search, after taking some time away from that field, I want to confront these fears head-on so I can move on — and move ahead.
One of my fears involves my goals and ambitions, or more specifically, how other people evaluate my goals and ambitions. Unlike my previously stated fears of feeling rusty or saddled with anxiety from feedback received, this fear is situated with other people’s perceptions of me.
And more likely, it’s situated in my own self-perception.
The Origin of (The Lack of) My Ambition
In 2011, I quit a full-time job to pursue a doctor of education degree full-time. The choice to step out, at the time, was grounded in the feelings of burnout I experienced and the lack of support I felt in order to pursue my dream. Once I returned to full-time work, I tried to make job-related decisions that focus on feeling support…
