Happy Monday, and happy almost-November!

As we approach the last two months of the year, some of us may be revisiting the resolutions or goals you set up earlier in the year. How are those goals going, by the way? Did you make a dent in the list, or did you forget about them after the first two weeks?

Talking about New Year's goals and resolutions - how are you doing with your career goals? Did you have any growth in your professional life this year? Are you on track to achieve whatever you have planned for your career?

Or are you currently stuck in a career rut - not knowing what to do next and just living with the flow?

Are you feeling stuck in your career now?

First things first - how do you know if you are in a career rut? This may differ with different people (as we all have different values and perspectives on what careers look like).

But you may be in a career rut if you answer Yes to some of these statements:

• You are not being paid fairly for the work that you do
• You are not challenged enough in your current job
• You do not see any room for growth in your organization
• You don't feel like you can earn the same salary (or higher) in your ideal role somewhere else
• You do the bare minimum to get by at work every day
• You lack confidence and haven't asked for what you think you deserve because you are afraid of being told No
• You want to leave your job, but you do not believe that you can find a better job out there

If you are in this phase in your career - don't worry! It is a phase that most people will go through, and it's completely normal. But before we share some steps to help you overcome this career rut, we want to bring up an old song from 2010. This was one of our favorite songs in high school, which still resonates with us now.

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,

Drifting through the winds, wanting to start again?

Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin,

Like a house of cards, one blow from cavin' in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep,

Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing?

Do you know that there's still a chance for you,

'Cause there's a spark in you

Don't wait around for inspiration to strike - take that first step.

Once you have identified that you are indeed in a career rut, here are some steps that you can take to get yourself out of that rut.

1. Reflect on the reason(s) and factor(s) affecting your career rut - what put you in this position in the first place?
2. Think about what has gone well for you so far - focusing on your strengths and the successes and opportunities that your strengths have helped you accomplish thus far.
3. Talk to someone - this can be a mentor, a career advisor, or a friend. Talking about it can help you to consider various options that may be available to you.
4. Find opportunities to upskill or reskill yourself - with an abundance of free (or cheap) training and courses online, the world is your oyster.
5. Network and meet new people - sometimes, you just need to tap into the wider community to explore what else is out there.
6. Take a break - now, not everyone can do this, and that's OK. But if you can take a break (even if it's just a few days), please do. Detach yourself from your work, go and have some me-time to reflect on your journey.
7. Reassess your career goals - understand that career growth is not linear, and what you thought you wanted 5 or 10 years ago may have changed. And that's completely OK.
8. Take that leap and just do it - some people say you should grab the opportunity, jump right in, and then reflect on it later. Don't wait for the 'right' moment, as it may never be 'right' enough.

[New post] What should you ask your career advisor?

If you are currently in university, you have access to a team of career advisors through your university's career services. They are there to help and support you in building your career skills and employability.

But if you are scared about setting an appointment with them, or are unsure about what you can ask them, here are some important questions that you should ask your career advisor.

Read more

If you can ask an expert something, what would you ask them?

We are thinking of starting a series of Ask the Experts on our blog, where we would interview industry professionals and subject matter experts in various industries and fields about their career journeys.

And so, we need your help. We want to know who you want to hear from, or what you want to know about? This can be as specific as "I want to know more on how to land a XXX job in ABC company" or as general as "I want to learn more about a career in XXX".

Feel free to let us know by replying to this email, or sharing it on our padlet. Any other ideas or suggestions are also welcome, so send them over to us, OK?

Until we see you again - take care, stay safe, and stay awesome!

Best,

Kejar Kerjaya