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Handle Challenges: Deal With Things You Can’t Change - alis
When you’re planning your career or looking for work, there may be challenges that you don't have much control over. Some of these challenges may make it harder for you to reach your goals.
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Manage Challenges
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Handle Challenges: Deal With Things You Can’t Change

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When you’re planning your career or looking for work, there may be some challenges you do not have much control over. Some of these challenges may make it harder to reach your goals.

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CAREERinsite

Deal With Problems Worksheet

You’ve done a lot of work to decide on an occupation. However, when you least expect them, problems can make it hard for you to reach your goal. Use this worksheet to help you prepare for possible problems that may keep you from reaching your occupational goal.

For example, you may be a person with a disability or a newcomer to Alberta. Or perhaps you find yourself suddenly caring for a family member.

You may be overwhelmed and feel like giving up. Or you may ignore the challenges for a while, only to have them limit your success in the future.

This article offers suggestions and support to help you handle the things you can’t change when they stand between you and your career and work goals.

Identify your challenges

Handling challenges begins with knowing what they are. You need to decide what you want before you can identify exactly what you’re up against:

  • Start by identifying what you want, the kind of job, educational program or career change you’re looking for.
  • Picture what you want and imagine taking steps towards it. Notice what comes up—situations, problems, people—anything that seems to get in your way.
  • Write down or record what seems to get in your way. These are your challenges.
  • If you don't know what you want, do some career planning. 
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Plan Your Career

Recognize Your Strengths

Your strengths are the things you’re passionate about, not just the things you’re good at. You may be good at writing, but writing would be one of your real strengths only if you love doing it. Real strengths combine your passion and your ability.

Use your strengths

When you’ve identified your challenges, you’ve taken the first and hardest step. Your next step is to identify the strengths and supports you have that will help you overcome your challenges. Start by answering the following questions:

  • What are your goals and dreams? Do you keep an image of them on hand to help you stay motivated?
  • What are the things you’ve done to get this far?
  • When things have worked well for you in the past, what positive steps were you taking? Could you do any of those things now?
  • Who has helped and supported you in the past? What would they advise you to do now?
  • What are the good things people say about you? What are the good things you say about yourself?
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Succeed at Work

Learn How to Change the Things You Can Change

Sometimes we're stopped from reaching our career goals by things we can actually change. Learn how to improve your career by changing the things you can.

Find help and support

The following services offered by Alberta Works can provide information and resources to help with challenges to your career, educational and work search goals:

Use your strengths and available resources to deal with the things you can’t change

When you identify the challenges between you and your career and education goals, you can begin to deal with them. Focus on your strengths and use available resources and services to help you lay the groundwork for positive change.

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Succeed at Work

Support Family Violence Prevention at Work

Family violence, also known as domestic violence, can affect everyone in the workplace—employers, employees, co–workers and clients. The workplace offers many opportunities to make a difference.

Additional Information

  1. If you are concerned about your physical safety:
    In any situation that is or could be physically threatening, it’s important to seek help. Contact the Family Violence Prevention Info Line 310-1818, toll-free 24/7.

  2. If you think you have a human rights complaint:
    If you have a human rights complaint or a question about a specific situation, contact the Alberta Human Rights Commission by telephone or regular mail. 

    Because of confidentiality concerns, the Commission cannot respond to complaints by email.
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