Hi wise people!
I’m in my early 40s now, and my career has had a few phases. I did well in academia, then moved into private sector research in a management role, which was a steep learning curve! but I got through it and love it. But with everything that’s happened in the world, there’s been a lot of restructuring and I ended up being moved to a different team, and I don’t have a management role anymore.
I’ve been struggling with confidence (nothing new but it’s reaching peaks), and I’m now in an environment that ticks a lot of the boxes for being toxic. What makes it harder is that it feels like the people who succeed around me are the ones who shine in conversations, take up all the space, and just dominate. That’s not me, it’s not my personality, it has never been. I know I’m technically very strong and that I’m a good, reliable employee. I meet deadlines, stay positive, and get things done, but I don’t really stand out in the same way.
This lack of confidence/communication skills is really getting to me, and I still have a long way to go in my career! I want to progress, but I don’t know what path to take from here. I love my line of work, but I feel stuck because of my personality, because I’m very shy, because I can’t easily talk with people, because sometimes my brain freezes when I meet new people. When I interview for jobs, I often end up in the final round, but I’ve never the selected candidate. I’m my best enemy.
If you have any advice or thoughts, I’d love to hear them. Thank you for reading