Man, I gotta tell you about this week’s project. Decided to tackle the whole “perfect job match” thing seriously. Been feeling stuck in my IT support role forever – decent pay but man, zero spark, you know? Just dragging myself to the terminal every Monday. Figured that Virgo Career Doctor checklist floating around might actually help me dig myself out.
Getting Real About the Suck
First step? Brutal honesty time. Grabbed my favorite pen (the blue one, always) and wrote down everything sucking about my current gig:
- Felt like a glorified password-reset button: Seriously, 80% of my day.
- Zero challenge: Fixing the same printer jam for the 300th time? Brain cells melting.
- No connection: Felt like a ghost in the building. Team chats? Happened over my head.
- Dreading Sunday nights: That pit-in-stomach feeling? Yeah. Every. Single. Week.
Writing it out was kinda gross but necessary. Couldn’t pretend it wasn’t bad anymore.
Virgo Steps Made Me Work
Alright, found the checklist online. Printed that bad boy out. Wasn’t magic – just forced me to ask questions I’d ignored.
Step 1: What Makes Me Forget Lunch?
Seriously. When do I get so focused the clock disappears? Remembered back in community college, helping classmates debug their simple Python scripts. Hours vanished. That tinkering, problem-solving, explaining… actually gave me energy. My current job? Just drained it.
Step 2: Values Check – Found Mine!
Used the values list included. Circled three like my life depended on it:
- Learning Stuff: New tech? Hell yes. Static stuff? Kill me.
- Autonomy: Sick of micromanaged tickets. Let me figure it out!
- Impact: Wanted to actually SEE my work help someone directly.
Cross-checked my suck-list. Yeah, none of these were being touched.
Step 3: Skill Stocktake (The Honest Kind)
Not just “I know computers.” Dug deeper:
- Actually Good At: Explaining tech to non-tech people calmly. Patience (mostly!). Pinpointing core issues in complex systems.
- Kinda Weak At (But Could Learn): Advanced networking stuff. Public speaking (shudder).
- HATE Doing: Writing endless, pointless documentation no one reads.
The “Aha!” Smacked Me in the Face
Putting it all together? Started searching for “technical trainer” and “IT educator” roles. Reading job descriptions felt… weirdly exciting? Saw stuff like “Develop engaging learning materials,” “Troubleshoot student tech hurdles,” “Opportunities for course development.” Boom. Hit all my circled values. Needed my key skills. Made me forget my coffee was getting cold. Total lightbulb moment. Never even considered this path before!
Made It Real (Job Hunting Sucks Less Now)
Didn’t stop there. Used the “perfect match” points to laser-focus:
- Resume Revamp: Highlighted explaining skills, training workshops I led (even tiny ones), passion for tech learning. Dumped a ton of boring tech support keywords.
- Interview Filter: Asked THEM: “Describe your team’s learning culture.” “What autonomy does this role have?” “How do you measure impact?” Scoped out vibes hard.
- Rejected the Bad Fits FAST: Got an offer for “Senior Tech Support Manager.” More money, sure. But reading it? More tickets, more reports, more password resets. Nah. Hit decline without guilt.
Took action. Found three legit openings. Applied. Cried a little over the cover letters. Actually landed an interview with a cool coding bootcamp yesterday.
Still interviewing, but dude? Using that Virgo checklist forced me to connect dots I was ignoring. Feel way clearer, way more in control of the hunt. No magic wand, but the steps work if you actually DO them.