How to level up in your career when you don’t want to move
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash
As I’ve touched on in blog posts over the past few weeks, relocating to pursue the next phase in your academic career isn’t always possible, or even desirable. But, deciding not to move can often be met with some apprehension. How can you make sure that you are levelling up in your career if you’re not willing or able to move to take the “best” opportunity?
My suggestion is to heed the advice that a career coach once gave me. I had been working with a coach (everyone needs a coach) as I was trying to decide whether to continue along a path of administration and leadership. Her advice: Make yourself a competitive offer. What does this mean? It means that there are numerous paths to follow, and each and every one of them can lead to meaningful work and personal satisfaction. She showed me that I wasn’t merely saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the next promotion, but rather, I had the opportunity to select from among multiple activities which would take me down different paths to different strategic goals. I just had to define what those activities could be. She kept asking, “And what else could you do?”, until I had about 10 options in front of me. Looking at those 10 options, I was able to see paths and strategic goals that felt more exciting and fulfilling to me than continuing to climb the academic ladder of ‘success’ to the next leadership position. None of them required moving, and each of them would help me ‘level up’ in a way that was important to me. One of those strategic goals was to make academia more accessible to everyone; this blog and my academic coaching programs were borne out of that goal. But, I wouldn’t have thought of these activities if my coach hadn’t encouraged me to make myself a competitive offer.
You, too, can make yourself a competitive offer. Take a moment to brainstorm all of the things that you may like to do one day. Don’t restrict yourself to finding ‘the perfect one’. Jot down anything that seems to be interesting, even if you don’t know how you would achieve it just yet. Be creative and open-minded.
Here are some options that could spark more specific ideas for you:
Leading a multidisciplinary granting initiative
Developing knowledge mobilization activities
Developing a new course or training program
Partnering with government, industry, or a local not-for-profit on a research project with real-world applications or impact
Learning a new methodology
Writing a book
After you’ve generated your list, sit back and reflect on those options. Evaluate each one against your values, feelings, and the potential for impact. Which ones resonate with your values? Which ones light you up inside? Which ones allow you to see a really exciting future for yourself? There may be some options that, when combined, set you off on a new path to cultivate a niche identity and expertise. That’s leveling up without having to move.
Levelling up doesn’t mean that there’s an easy path forward. Some of the options that light you up may require creating a new space for yourself. For instance, maybe your institution has never implemented a training program, so there’s no institutional knowledge or infrastructure to support you creating a new one. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible, but it does mean that you will have to cultivate a detailed plan of what you will need to move forward and how you will get it. Likewise, leveling up doesn’t always happen quickly. Sometimes, you will need to build up a foundation of activities over a period of years that will then get you to the option and career path you were excited about. But just because something takes time and effort doesn’t mean it’s not the right fit for you. In fact, you might be the only person with the passion to achieve your unique strategic vision.
If you’re looking to level up in your career, but you know you don’t want to—or can’t—relocate, there are many strategic options available to you. If you need help making yourself a competitive offer, reach out, and I’ll help you craft a plan that fits with your life constraints and goals.
Next week: What if you don’t want to climb the ladder to ‘success’?
