Make April 15th Your Deadline to Assess Your Career

Tax time is an ideal time for a reality check on your career. Why? First, April 15th is a rather inflexible deadline so you won't have the problem of a slipping time line. Second you will already be totaling up the financial renumeration that you get from your job for your tax return so that part of the assessment will already be done.

How does one evaluate one's career path?

* Look at what's going well and what's going not-so-well.
What are you learning from your job?
* Is working still fun?
* If unhappy, how long have you been so?
* Is your unhappiness driven by unhappiness with your boss and is it possible to change them without having to change employers?
* What is the next step and when do you want to take it?

Most life or career coaches will recommend that for any issues that you identify that you first try and find a solution over simply hoping that things will work out on their own--they probably won't. Furthermore, you are often better off trying to fix things with your current employer over quitting for a new employer. Note however if you have been unhappy for a year or more it might be time for a change.

One more tip is to ask yourself whether you would benefit from objective third party advice from a life coach or career coach. It's quite possible that the answers to your questions are right in front of you but that you need help in putting them together and in forming an action plan.