10 Tips For Your Career Change
Rebecca Wells
Do you feel unhappy at work but feel paralysed with fear to do anything about it? Do you suffer from a churning stomach every morning and wish you could find a career that truly excites and energises you from the moment you wake up to the time you go to sleep at night?
If you want different results, greater success and more fulfilment in your career, here are ten career change tips that might help...
Step 1: Get Over Yourself
1. Decide To Make A Change And Commit To It Until It's Done
If you have been telling yourself for a long time that you hate your current career, have not made any effort to make a change but are still telling your partner, friends and colleagues how unhappy you are at work, it is time to make a real commitment to do something about it.
One of the key reasons people fail to achieve their goals is their lack of commitment. Unless you truly want something different to happen you will never achieve what you set out to. Ask yourself how committed you are out of 10 to make this change (10 being 'most committed'). Unless you are scoring a 9 or 10, keep ploughing away at your day job. It can be a lot of work changing career and unless your heart is completely in it, you might as well save yourself the pain and energy. Once you know that you are committed, it becomes incredibly simple: if you put every scrap of effort and focus into achieving your career change then chances are... you will be successful.
2. Stop Kidding Yourself - The 'Ideal Job' Is Not Wishful Thinking
People often talk themselves out of being happy professionally because they believe 'something better' just is not possible. Remember: there are always, always options available to you. Ask what does the belief, "There's no such thing as an ideal job for me" get for you? Does it give you security and certainty? In other words, by doing nothing and by telling yourself there's nothing better for you out there, does it keep you safe? Does testing the boundaries or trying something new expose you to error, disappointment or failure?
Decide if your current situation is working for you. If it is not, do not spend the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years (you get the picture) wallowing in your own fear and self-loathing. Take command of your life and make a positive change to have more of what you want in your life and career. Eight hours a day for the rest of your working life might be an awfully long time if you are doing something professionally that you hate...
3. Stop Telling Yourself You Are Too Old For A Career Change
It is never too late to change career, so long as you have a structured and well-thought through strategy to support you. What does 'too old' mean anyway? Too old for what? 'Age' is just another barrier that people erect to protect themselves from potential failure or rejection. Sure, some recruiters might be looking for a younger employee. But others are looking for experience, a mature head, a seasoned strategist, an experienced leader, a creative thinker, an inspiration... age might not enter into it. YOU are the biggest barrier to your own success.
Step 2: Get Moving
4. Discover Your Passions
When exploring what an alternative career might look like, the key is to step out of your current headspace. Chances are you have been regurgitating the same beliefs and thoughts about what you are capable of (or 'not capable of' in most cases) for a long time. Careers become stale for a reason and it is essential that what you 'do' professionally is congruent with your values and passions, what drives you and what makes you feel the most fulfilled.
Decide first and foremost what makes you happiest. Brainstorm everything that gets you going - whether it is the kinds of people you enjoy being with most, the interests that get your blood racing, the activities that make you feel most centred or alive. Write them all down on a piece of paper and don't stop until you have got at least 30 things written down.
Now circle the words that jump out at you, that get your heart racing, that make you smile. Choose one and write it in the middle of a piece of paper. Explode that idea out into anything that springs to mind. If for example, you wrote down 'animals' as your interest area, exploded areas might include: zoos, wildlife parks, vet. From that you might explode further to: game keeper, animal specialist, front of house, veterinary nurse, animal charities, animal products, pet food. Keep exploding the ideas out until your page is absolutely swamped with ideas all related to that initial interest area 'animals'.
5. Look Around You For Contacts
You will know more people than you would ever think possible. Write a list of all the people you know.
There may be people around you who can give you advice. There might be others with friends who work within your areas of interest. There might be people who you could ask for a work experience placement or the opportunity to shadow them during a working day.
Use all the resources available to you and all the experience of those around you to help you research your potential career areas and to help you decide whether or not those interest areas match your values and get your pulse racing.
Step 3: Take Action
6. Find Out What You Are Dealing With
When travelling into unknown territory it is easy to talk yourself out of it. People commonly litter their inner monologues with fear-based statements and questions: "If I do X, Y might happen." It is essential to feel prepared so find out as much as you can about the current situation. Research the alternatives open to you. Remove 'what if' questions from your vocabulary by finding out the answer before you ask it. Knowing exactly what you are dealing with, what hurdles you might need to jump and what you may need to do to make something happen puts you in the position of power.
Those 'What ifs...' are the statements and questions of victims. You are not a victim. You are a pioneer on a journey of self discovery. Armed with the facts, you take the driving seat and can then make reasoned judgements about the path you should take.
7. Set Some Goals
Be clear on what you want by establishing some short-, mid- and long-term goals. If the career you are passionate about requires further study, consider what impact that might have on your time scales and budget. Set yourself clear, simple goals that describe what you want (not what you do not want) and then follow Tips 8 and 9.
8. Break It Down
'Career change' as a statement or thought could easily be regarded as being overwhelming. Once you have decided on your overall 'end' goal, break it down into something more manageable. Then break that down into something more manageable again. It might take 5, 10 or 20 steps for you to reach a 'first' step that feels manageable for you to tackle right away, but that is fine. What you want is an end goal and then a list of small step goals needed to help you achieve that overall goal more easily.
Once each step is achieved tick it off, reward yourself and look to the next one!
9. Put Some Deadlines In Place
It is easy to set yourself a task but then allow other things to get in the way and hinder your progress.
Remember, if you are committed to making this change you will do what it takes to make it happen and will refuse to be distracted from the task at hand. Set yourself deadlines for when you want to have achieved each step by (from Tip 8). Ensure your end goal, and each smaller step goal, have dates assigned to them.
This will give you focus, remove a little pressure and give you a solid strategy as opposed to leaving your career change to chance. If you miss a deadline for one of your step goals, do not panic. Just look at what a more realistic date might be and then stick to that.
10. Actively Look For Your Options
If you have discovered a potential career option, there are always different ways you could approach it to make it come to life. For example, if you are thinking, "The only option is full time study," ask "Can I study part time?"; "Can I study during evenings?"; "Can I distance-study?" You may not achieve an outcome or obtain the response you want immediately. Take a deep breath. See the 'problem' as a 'challenge' and think around it. Get flexible. Get resourceful. Look for what the alternative angles might be.
Remember - there are always options, but to be successful you need to take a leadership role and proactively locate and/or create your opportunities - and ultimately, your route to success!
Rebecca Wells is a British coach living in Australia who specialises in working with expatriates. If you believe you could be happier or feel that you could achieve more either personally or professionally, visit her Clear Horizon Coaching website for more information and to read about how coaching can help you move forwards. Rebecca also offers clients, who are genuinely interested in their personal development, a AU$97 introductory coaching session with absolutely no obligation to proceed. Should they choose to continue with an 8, 12 or 16 week coaching program thereafter the AU$97 will be returned to them! |
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