If you’re considering a new career, it’s probably for one of these reasons: Any or all of these can feel like a gut punch. One of the worst aspects of being either jobless or unhappy in your job is the sense that your life has spiraled out of control. What to do? Now’s the perfect time to come up with a career plan for yourself.

The best thing about being forced to work on a career plan is that it’s all about you — taking control of your career and your future. You might be thinking, “That’s great, Phil, but I need a job, like yesterday, and I don’t have the luxury of making a long-range plan. I’ve got rent to pay next week.

” You obviously need to keep a roof over your head. If cash flow is essential, then get a job, any job. One quick-fix solution is getting hired for a temporary job through a temp staffing firm like ours.

Give it your best effort until something better comes up. I’ve found that people will put up with the hardest, most boring job if they know they have a way out. OK, now that your world is not totally falling apart, it’s time to work on your longer-term future.

Start with, “What’s my dream job?” Allow yourself to brainstorm without any boundaries — not pay, location, education or any other inhibitors. Then, most importantly, ask yourself why that’s your dream job. We all had childhood fantasies about what we wanted our lives to look like.

As we grew into adulthood, many of us slowly chipped away at those fantasies. Coming u.