How many people have you met who did a course or a degree in one area of learning, but were unable to get a job in that field afterwards? Were your job projections inaccurate? What if technology advanced or politics closed a mine, or evolving social infrastructure made the planned career obsolete? Where does that leave you?

If you feel prevented from pursuing that thing which you aim for, this can lead to frustration and disappointment, especially with the burden of educational and other bills hangs over your head. Does helplessness linger inside? If this sounds like you or, you know someone who has had such an experience, what do you do about it? You could begin by answering a call to reflect on your existence and life strategy.

1) Reframe your life. Its no good "crying over spilt milk," which means what's already done is done.  You have chances to define your identity in meaningful ways. If you no longer function the way you had been thinking, simply learn to adapt and entertain the idea that other ways exist. Why not seek them?

2) Decide the problem lies in you. The real issue is that you may have forgotten what you learn represents tools you can use to get yourself anywhere. Don't limit yourself to apparent closed doors or missed opportunities. What steps can you take to apply your skills gained somewhere else? How can you reframe circumstances to benefit yourself and others differently?

3) Expand on your knowledge. Whatever you learned during formal training, this is not the end of your learning process. Consider that you aren't competing with anyone.  Outward reaching doesn't have to be limited to what you assumed would be waiting for you before or during study, before or during your last position. There's more to life than what you think you know already.

4) Create new opportunities. This doesn't necessarily mean you must start and run your own business. The key is to learn to market your skills to people whom you think would benefit. How are you taking initiatives to contact people and demonstrate what you can do for them? These individuals could be prospective clients, prospective employers or people who could become your mentors.

5) Accept what you hadn't seen. Its possible the work future you foresaw for yourself was missing something. Many kinds of service roles exist, and you may not considered one to which you would be well-suited. Your biggest challenge may be to see beyond your own agenda. The needs you perceived within yourself may not be your fundamental needs at all. Society may have adapted to reveal what your true needs and desires are. Look at your conditions as a blessing. How will you react?