In sport the referees and umpires are merely the first to make a call in a decision process that ultimately is determined by the interpretation of video evidence. Even then,it is contended.
We can appeal decisions in many aspects of life,so why are we so pressed to make the “right” one in our careers?iStock
In the legal realm we have all learned of dangers of prematurely condemning the accused who have been found guilty or celebrating the innocence of the person found not guilty,until every avenue of appeal has been exhausted. That can take years. Sometimes it is exhausting to get a decision.
In academia,students can appeal their grades. At work,claims can be made for unfair dismissal. Sport and the law,have long recognised the need for appeals processes because they recognise that decision-making can and often is,a flawed process.
Generally and traditionally,judges,referees,and umpires are recruited from the experienced and senior ranks within their respective fields. The adage that I used to be a cricketer until my eyesight failed,and then I became an umpire,contains more than a grain of truth.
So in many realms,important decisions are left to those that have been there and done this and that,seen a thing or two,and are not easily swayed by the tricks of the trade,appeals to emotion and other de-railers of good decision-making.
Much has been written about how to make good career decisions. Much of it is trite,simplistic,unrealistic and ultimately unhelpful.
Despite recruiting the sagest of sages,these arbiters can and do make mistakes. Even the video referees,get it wrong. In association football,there are more than many that positively hate the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system because it can look so subjective despite the technology.
Yet,we still expect individuals to “make” career decisions that have the potential to have profound impacts on their lives,livelihoods,mental and sometimes physical wellbeing,and their financial health.
The impact of the decision may have flow on effects for partners,families,even communities. And we expect people to do this without the aid of video replays or appeals systems. We must get the career decision “right” it seems.
Much has been written about how to make good career decisions. Much of it is trite,simplistic,unrealistic and ultimately unhelpful. For instance,“know yourself” is simply nonsense. Show me a person who says that they know themselves,and I’ll show you a person who hasn’t looked hard enough.
Show me a person who is 100 per cent convinced they are correct (and assuming they were born outside of Texas or Yorkshire),I will show you a person acting more from brittle self-belief and need,than from any empirical base.
Do what you love,follow your passion,and similar bumper-sticker philosophy not only is generally unhelpful (if I know my passion,I wouldn’t be in this pickle with this decision would I?),but it also pre-supposes that whatever you think you love doing,you will love the morning after. Experience can be a cruel a mistress.
Others say follow your gut feeling;like every other shirtless punter clinging to a betting app in the grip of disappointment.
Get all the information you need before deciding sounds like a piece of sane advice,except in the hands of the hesitant,for whom there will never be enough available information to allow them to cross the road safely to ask the chicken impertinent questions about its road crossing motivations. It can be a recipe for stalling.
We can remove a lot of pressure from ourselves,by recognising that any career “decision” is initially no more than a redirection,that does not have to be grimly stuck by in the face of changing circumstances.
Decisions vary - from being made under conditions of near certainty,to being no more than a shot in the dark. Tragedy tells us that what looks like a good decision now might be shocker later on. Comedy tells us that when we are confident we are seeing things clearly,everyone else can see the banana skin we’ve missed.
Do not waste your life trying to make the perfect decision,they do not exist. Just try stuff,appeal to the video referee in your mind called experience,and adjust your decision accordingly.
Dr Jim Bright FAPS owns Bright and Associates,a career management consultancy,and is director of evidence&impact at BECOME Education an Ed Tech start-up. Email to. Follow him on Twitter @DrJimBright