For a long time, experience may have been understood by the jobs held: case manager, social worker, counselor, program coordinator. Whatever title came with the position became one of the easiest ways to explain the work.
But experience is much bigger than a collection of job titles.
Responsibilities are one part of it. There are also problems solved, decisions made, coworkers trained, difficult situations managed, processes learned, and capabilities developed along the way.
Some of those experiences may not seem significant anymore because they became a normal part of the work.
How someone understands their experience can affect what they believe they can do with it.
Looking only at job titles and duties can make future options look a lot like the work you’ve already done. Looking more closely at what was learned and developed provides more information to work with.
The change in view doesn't mean every career suddenly becomes an option, but it does mean that the decisions about what's next can be made with a better understanding of what you’ve already done.
A role that once seemed completely unrelated might deserve another look. Something you’ve done for years may now have value. Career options that once seemed non-existent may begin to expand.
The experience itself hasn't changed, but the understanding has, and that is key.
This view can change the way future opportunities are analyzed and considered.
When people change the way they understand their experience, they begin changing the opportunities they believe are possible.
There doesn't have to be an immediate career change or a perfect answer about what’s next for you.
But there should be a clear understanding of the experience that is already right there in front of you.
Experience becomes much more useful once the full value of it is recognized.
You're not unqualified. You're MISTRANSLATED.
To landing what you've earned,
Kourtney Checots
Career Strategist
Founder, MISTRANSLATED