What happens if you love what you do but you can't do it anymore? Doesn't seem to matter if you are the best at the skill.

1. It happened to the steel workers. Many of the workers were the best at what they did. The industry just went to another land.
2. Many people face this situation when they are seen as "over-qualified." They still love to program and become the best. Unfortunately, the industry changed, downsized or went out of business all together. While looking to work at what they are best at doing, they continually hear that they are "over-qualified."

Yes, "video killed the radio star" (song by The Buggies) but you aren't dead! You are just stuck in the valley of indecision (John Lennon in "I'm Losing You"). You are in what Seth Godin calls "The Dip." It is the rough patch you have to get through. You are probably looking at your skill set and career too narrowly so that the dip looks more like a cul-de-sac.

You have a lot of great skills that can be morphed into something else.

• If you are the best programmer in an outdated language, decide if you really love programming. If so, learn a new language and move on. State the best business solutions your past programs provided. How much revenue did your programs add to the business? If you don't love programming, it's time for a change.
• If you are a project manager but seem to be a dime a dozen, decide if you really love managing? If so, list your top management skills. Document them in such a way that you can manage any type of project (in and outside of IT). If you are no longer passionate about managing, it's time for a change.
• If you are an analyst that has specialized in a business area that is no longer funded (financial industry, for example), decide if you really love to be an analyst. If so, pick another industry and read as much as possible about it. Find the correlations between the two industries and document that in your letter to potential employers. If you're bored with analysis, it's time for a change.

What you hit is a bump in life. It happens to everyone. It happens more than once. It's "The Dip." You have to decide if you want to stay on this path (which may be a cul-de-sac) or to morph into something totally different.

• Do you want to stay as an employee? Would becoming a consultant be beneficial?
• Do you want to teach the skills? In an educational setting (college) or corporate setting?
• Do you want to offer your services to charities? Even non-profits pay a salary.
• Do you want to make a complete change and start a small business in something completely different?
• Do you want to stay with the same organization but become more of a coach (switching to the training or human resource department)?

People go through phases. Once they hit the wall and realize that life is changing and leaving them behind, they panic. "What will I do?" or "What should I do?"

That, my friends, is the valley of indecision. You stop thinking of options and possibilities. The dip is where you can get stuck for long periods of time. This will drain your finances if you don't start working towards making the change. The truth is that this is the exact time for the change.

I call it morphing instead of change. Change sounds too dramatic. You don't leave on the sidelines what you are best at. You are changing your direction, dropping what is not useful and building upon existing good skills towards a new goal. You are morphing into becoming a better best for the current (economical) climate.

So, what are you best at? Make that list in non-technical terms. Come up with at least ten different items spreading through some of the following sample categories:

Leadership:

• Do you clarify or develop a vision that others can follow?
• Are you a trusted advisor that can coach followers?

Organization:

• Are you a great planner?
• Do you identify potential risks before others?
• Do you see patterns in loose objects, assembling them in an order that is easy for others to understand?

Communicating:

• Writing: do you write great procedures or motivational thoughts?
• Presenting: do you communicate verbally in an energetic way?

If you are not the BEST in some of these skills, do you enjoy them? If so, all you need to do is start reading and finding places to hone these skills. It may require taking a lower level position to start. Your other skills will help you move within the company faster.

If you fear that you aren't the best or can't be the best, then stop. Think about what it is that you fear. Identify why you have that fear. Analyze what you fear to determine if the fear is just False Evidence Appearing Real. For example:

• Fear of Failure: Heck, everyone does. That's the best learning opportunity around!
• Fear of looking stupid: Then prepare more. Your current fear is just an indication that you have not prepared enough.
• Fear of stepping out of your comfort zone: How do you know if you wouldn't like the new zone? Trying is the key of success. Take the risk. You can always change direction again.

Remember, you have skills that are applicable to other careers or other areas within that career. You just never looked at them in that way. You've been in a cocoon of IT people. You may be in even a smaller niche of an IT person in a specific industry and technology. You never HAD to look outside your cocoon.

Wow, you've been missing a lot of great opportunities to learn, experiencing new people and new skills. You have a lot to offer this new community. You just have to look with a positive attitude.

Why am I talking about this in a venue that describes "How To Engage The Business Community?" Because that's a great place to start seeing how your skills are applicable to other areas. On your list of skills that you are the best at, or want to be the best at, talk with your business community to see if they can suggest how useful they can be in other business areas. If you have the working relationship with them, setting up a lunch with them will be easy. It won't matter if you still work for the company, they will be happy to help you.

Once you:

1. Evaluate if your current focus is the right one in this economic time;
2. Decide what you are best at or want to be the best at;
3. See the transferability of your skills;
4. Talk with others outside of your cocoon;
5. Identify the source of your fears (and begin to eliminate them)

You'll see the dip and realize it is just a dip. You will have identified what you want to be the best at and will be willing to work hard to work through the dip. You will drop the skills that are no longer helpful thus keeping you in the dip. If you don't, look ahead. You may be hitting the end of the road sign of the cul-de-sac.

The Valley of Indecision is only as deep and long as you make it.

SBDi speaks both Business and IT languages. Bring SBDi in to help communication between both organizations. Let us help you find the right flexible solution that will help business increase revenue.

Pat Ferdinandi, Chief Thought Translator