James Lipton concludes each interview for the Bravo Cable Network's "Inside the Actors Studio" with 10 questions. I've found one of these useful for dialogue about careers. It asks for a profession, outside of your own, you wouldn't want to pursue. Another illuminating question is, "What do you dread?" (This I picked up in conversation with a young district attorney, who undoubtedly finds use for it in her practice.) I've found what we don't want to do and what we dread-though negative-speak to our identity. For most of us, our job is an important part of that identity. (No? Think about the last time you introduced yourself.) When we dread losing a job, we confront questions about who we are. In ordinary business cycles, we may put these questions to rest by finding a new job-doing the same thing for a new company. In other times, professional identity itself may be in doubt.
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