STAY IN FOCUS: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE FEELING STUCK
“Entrenched,” “hit a plateau,” “held-back,” or whatever you want to call it—feeling stuck can feel awful. It can
make you feel like your goals are completely impossible. After moving through the career decision making
process for a while, everyone is bound to hit a slow patch at some point. The following pages contain statements
and questions for you to think about when making career decisions. These activities are available to you anytime
you feel like you have hit a plateau or generally feel stuck. In addition to the career decision making process,
these pages may be of use to you at other crossroads or periods of change in your life.
Your resistance to change may be due to some common fears that tend to keep people
from moving forward with new career decisions. Here are some of those fears:
Fear of change
Fear of feeling foolish
Fear of affect on relationships
Fear of the unknown
Fear of failure
Fear of making a “bad” choice
Fear of income loss
Fear of rejection
Fear of initiating/getting started
Fear of losing job security
Fear of having little confidence
Fear that it isn’t any better anywhere else
There are factors that are sometimes beyond your control. Change possibilities can
sometimes be limited by these and other external factors.
Financial obligations
Judgmental and discriminatory behavior
Family obligations
Contracts/Work obligations
Tips for working through fears and limitations
1.
Take it one step at a time. It is easy to say, but hard for some to do. Try it. Write down your biggest
goal and work back—breaking it down into the smallest “baby steps.” Big goals such as a full career
change seem much easier to manage when you view them step-by-step or piece-by-piece.
2.
Don’t jump in; just dip your toe. Try testing the occupational waters by doing information
appointments, volunteer activities, taking ONE introductory class, or read all you can about the career
that interests you. Change takes time!
3.
Combat nervousness, low self-esteem, and rejection fears by knowing as much as you can about
yourself. Know your skills, style, traits, and interests. Most of all, identify and stand firm by your
values. Recognize that fears are normal and everyone going through change experiences some fear.
continued 
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CPCC Career Services | www.cpcc.edu/career/ | Last Modified: 6/2/2003
©2003 Central Piedmont Community College. All Rights Reserved.
STAY IN FOCUS: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE FEELING STUCK
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4.
Look back. Even though you are planning on what could be a major career change, certain skills and
characteristics can be just as useful in new careers as they were in the old ones. Check for patterns
within the places you enjoyed working. Did you use similar skills? Did you work with similar people?
Think of other similarities. Knowing the similarities can sometimes help you identify the negatives to
avoid in the future and vice versa.
A Bull’s-eye Moment…
When you sense that time is going by very quickly, what is it that you are doing?
What would you do if money were no object? What makes you indicate that particular activity or occupation?
How would you feel five years from now if you were in exactly the same situation that you are in now?
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CPCC Career Services | www.cpcc.edu/career/ | Last Modified: 6/2/2003
©2003 Central Piedmont Community College. All Rights Reserved.