Values and career regret

At the beginning of 2020, CERIC published the results of their survey on the status of career development in Canada. Some of the results specifically pointed to the high degree of career regret felt by people in Canada.

The top regret? 72% of people who visited a career professional in Canada said that they wished they had chosen a career that better aligned with their values.

And what a year to reflect on our values.

Many employers were under examination early in the COVID-19 pandemic based on how they treated employees amid furloughs, layoffs and work-from-home orders. The killing of George Floyd in late May re-fueled the Black Lives Matter movement, and has seen protests against anti-Black racism all over the world. June is known simultaneously as Pride Month and Indigenous History Month in Canada. And now, more people are turning a microscope on their own biases and assumptions. More people are examining their own power and privilege, perhaps for the first time. 2020 has forced many people to look more deeply into what matters to them. And to look more conscientiously into their futures.

In light of all of this, it’s exactly the right time to examine your values and how they have impacted or shaped your career. What values do you bring into work? What values do you expect to see exhibited by your current and future employer? By your industry? It’s a year of self-reflection and redefinition for many. Check out more details on this topic here.

Not sure where your career values lie? An hour of career coaching may help.

Photo credit: Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels