“Turning Down my Dream Job”
What happens when the "dream job" is no longer THE job you should take?
Just a few months after enrolling in Thrive By Design Masterclass, like many of his cohorts, Dereck began to land more interviews. He started interviewing with the company of his dreams. This was the #1 company on his “Top 10” list for a while. His talent was finally being seen by the company and he was winning and moving through the subsequent interviews and then something happened…..
In one of our weekly group sessions Dereck shared this story:
“I’ve had a crazy win. One that I’ve never expected. I almost took a job just to get into this company and would have been pigeonholed on the wrong track.
This job was my ultimate dream come true. But as I was interviewing and learning more about the role and the company, I was coming to the strange realization that it wasn’t really what I wanted–this role was too small for me. I realized while this role would have been a higher title and compensation, the work itself was too similar to what I’m doing now.
I’ve learned so much through the Thrive By Design Masterclass and it’s community about myself, my potential, what I’m truly capable of and eligible to win. By taking this role on, I would not be able to challenge myself. I would be taking a job, a position I have actually outgrown.”
When Dereck approached us, he had a daunting but common request. Like many seasoned design professionals who seek us out, he wanted help landing a new opportunity.
A lot of designers on the intrapreneur track would be envious and dream of Dereck's career path. He joined a corporation and steadily moved up the ladder, from staff level designer. Dereck got promoted from senior ID designer to manager, director, and eventually VP of Design & UX.
Dereck was extremely successful; the company he worked for would probably never let him go because he had really transformed everything for this corporation.
After spending the last few years making a final attempt to change his management’s perspective, Dereck could see the ceiling–the writing on the wall–and knew it was time to move on.
“My network in the top corporations have opened so many doors for me... Unfortunately I haven’t been able to land the opportunities and now when I call in more favors I can sense it’s taking longer for my network to get back to me and when they do send me opportunities I find out that they are the wrong ones.”
The most ironic thing for professionals like Dereck is that after more than 15 years successfully rising within a company, the hardest challenge for him was that he was out of practice interviewing and didn’t know how to search for a job.
So Dereck sought out and enrolled in our Thrive By Design Masterclass, a professional development program that we created specifically with designers like Dereck in mind.
In the beginning of Dereck’s journey with us he was applying for design director positions and we helped him unearth that he didn't even realize where he should advance to. Through the tools and frameworks we gave him, he understood the true magnitude of what he was capable of. Dereck gained a new self-awareness; he had grown beyond design director positions and had built the ability to solve broader scale challenges. While Dereck was enrolled in our program, so much shifted in his own rationale and understanding of his capabilities. Dereck had outgrown the dream job he had been coveting and was aware he was now eligible for a SVP position. That “opportunity of a lifetime”... was actually beneath him.
By understanding how his expertise had evolved, Dereck was able to realize how far he could take his career.
When Dereck came to us he was the head of design for a corporation, but after not being able to win the right interviews, he began to question some of his abilities, he even considered dropping down to a VP or director level position at a bigger corporation.
With the tools he learned through Thrive by Design he gained the self-awareness to understand his needs and wants. By the end, he was able to create a new path, one that led him to the success and happiness he desired. And that is always our goal, to help you realize your true potential and break through the glass ceiling.
Dereck is currently entertaining discussions for much higher level positions that are allowing him to continue to grow and rise. Knowing what he’s capable of, we’re excited for what Dereck is calling in for himself: to be intentional about creating his best future.
When your perspective of your abilities evolves you begin to realize how much farther you can reach and to what extent you can take your career. What we help designers do in Thrive by Design isn’t for everyone. Some people are just looking for a job with a steady paycheck. Not everyone has that passion or needs that love for the work they do. But for those who know they want more for themselves, for their career, for their growth… We designed this Masterclass for you.