Just because it is the easy answer doesn’t make it the right one.

I spoke with a man this week who wants to be able to work remotely, have money and time for his family, travel, and support his volunteer work.

And where he started with me was saying that he needed to get more training, but he didn’t really have time for it.

I suggested we back up.

This is a man with 10+ of work in a multinational company.

He leads his own department.

I asked, “Is there anyone you know doing the work you want to do?”

Yes.

He has a friend who does, and he works regularly with third party contractors who are doing his ideal job.

I suggested that his first step is to talk with these people.

(People love to talk about themselves, maybe you’ve noticed.)

Ask them about how they got their job, if he was interested in getting into it, what would they suggest, and who else would they suggest he talked to.

(Maybe you’ve also noticed people love being asked for advice.)

Once he has a handful of these conversations he will be able to more confidently make a plan.

It might include more education, or he might discover that the missing pieces are things he could learn on the job at a new gig.

He is going to find out.

I love learning new things.

It’s very tempting to hope that a new certification or degree will make everything smooth.

Hope is not a strategy.

If you’d like to move from hope to strategy, hit reply and let’s talk.