No, this isn’t some hype about how, if you follow your dreams, you’ll end up wildly rich and touring the country to promote your latest book. However, you will likely find more success in your career, and thereby increase your value as an employee and leader, if you choose a career path that follows your interests, skills, abilities, and personal values.

Too many people are unhappy at work, and researchers know that this leads to a host of other problems, such as more missed work days, decreased productivity, and physical and mental health problems, just to name a few. If you find that you’re one of these people, consider taking a good look at your career path. Will the one you’re on lead you to the place you want to be in the next five years? Ten? Twenty? Yes, many people change careers these days–the average is about eight times. However, change can be difficult. The earlier you determine an appropriate career path, the easier it will be for you to reach and maintain an executive-level career. At the same time, however, it’s never too late to change. Life would be boring without change, and even seasoned employees can make successful career changes. It may be more difficult at a later age or when fully entrenched on a particular route, but it’s not impossible.

Seek Outside Help

Because change can be intimidating, and because you may worry that you’ll make a major change only to find out later that it was a wrong decision, consider seeking the advice of a career counselor or coach. These people are trained in working with individuals facing difficult career situations, whether a loss of a job or making a major shift. Additionally, career professionals have access to, and can accurately interpret, a variety of tools to help you understand yourself better.

In general, there are a few key areas to consider when investigating a career shift, whether it’s similar to your current line of work a completely new direction. These are:

1. Interests: What do you enjoy doing? What types of activities make you completely lose track of time? What are your hobbies? What did you enjoy doing as a child?
2. Values: Values take the form of intrinsic and extrinsic values. Intrinsic values are those that are internal, such as autonomy, the ability to express yourself, or being able to make a difference in the workplace. Extrinsic values are those that you prefer in your external working environment, such as working with others or alone, living in a metropolitan area, or working outdoors.
3. Skills and Abilities: Skills are those things that can be learned, such as typing or being able to build something. Abilities are innate, such as the ability to communicate well or having a natural ability to solve complex problems.

A career counselor or coach can help you clearly identify these areas and help you determine how you might best express your preferences and strengths.

Obviously, other factors must be considered as well. If, for example, you’ve always dreamed of being a professional baseball player and you’re now watching your grandchildren play T-ball, you need to consider how you can take your interests and translate them into real world options that will help satisfy parts of that dream. A career professional can help you identify the underlying aspects of that dream and apply it to realistic options.

You may find that you’re unable to make a change at this point in your life or career, and that’s okay, too. However, it may be worth your time to ensure that you engage in activities that satisfy the parts of yourself that you’re not able to use in the workplace. Hobbies and social activities, among others, can help you achieve some balance and provide you with an outlet beyond work to do what you most enjoy.

Values and Value

When you are cognizant of finding work that is in line with your values, interests, and abilities, you automatically perform better on the job. When you enjoy your work, it is obvious to others, including your team and superiors, which makes you a valuable asset to the company. Besides having fewer sick days, for example, you’ll offer many other financial and other benefits to the company. Happy employees are productive employees, better leaders, are good examples, and are simply more enjoyable to work with. What employer would not want to maintain and reward that?

*Copyright 2008, Teena Rose, All Rights Reserved

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This is a guest post by Teena Rose.   Check-out resume samples at Resume to Referral: A Resume and Career Services. Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.