Making sense of a career change.
These days, people aren't sticking with one job for the bulk of their career. It's common to start out in one career and change several times before it's all over. Maybe you left the workforce to get a degree or have found a lack of job openings in your industry. Whatever the reason, the odds are good that you'll find yourself trying to transition to a new career field.
Changing careers can be stressful and sometimes really, really hard. I think the hardest part is keeping your spirits up in spite of the adversity you might face. We all want to think that it is easy, but it's not.
So many times people say things like "When one door closes, another opens up." The intention is to make you feel better, but when you are struggling, it can feel an awful lot like wishful thinking. The best thing to remember is that although the statement is true, it doesn't mean that there isn't a whole lot of suffering that goes on in the hallway when you are waiting for the next door to open.
If you've done the research and made a choice to change careers, the process is easier to cope with. However, if you have been forced into it due to losing your job and facing dwindling job prospects, the change can be traumatic and you might want to just throw in the towel. Even if you had bad things happen in your career that brought you to this point, don't dwell on them. Think about it - dwelling on the unfairness of it all gives energy to the victim story in your head.
No one wants to be the one telling a sad story over and over. Look at ways to keep your enthusiasm and find a better story to tell.
If you are struggling with your career transition, here are some questions you should ask yourself:
What are you passionate about? - Thinking about what it is that you love to do the most is a great starting point. Write down the skills you have that help you do what you love and look for ways that you can use them at a new job.
What talents do you have? - Take a look at the things you are especially good at. They may be things that helped you in your career so far. Think about ways that you can transfer those same skills to a new career.
What are you willing to do to make the change? - If your career transition requires additional education and training, find out what you need to do and make sure that you have the ability and the resouces to complete it.
Are you able to turn your plan into action? - Don't get so bogged down in thinking about what you need to do to make the switch that you become frozen.
Even if it seems daunting, look for little ways to work on it so that you don't lose momentum.
Have you ever changed careers? What helped you the most? Please share your thoughts and tips in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for FinancialJobBank and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
If you've done the research and made a choice to change careers, the process is easier to cope with. However, if you have been forced into it due to losing your job and facing dwindling job prospects, the change can be traumatic and you might want to just throw in the towel. Even if you had bad things happen in your career that brought you to this point, don't dwell on them. Think about it - dwelling on the unfairness of it all gives energy to the victim story in your head.
No one wants to be the one telling a sad story over and over. Look at ways to keep your enthusiasm and find a better story to tell.
If you are struggling with your career transition, here are some questions you should ask yourself:
What are you passionate about? - Thinking about what it is that you love to do the most is a great starting point. Write down the skills you have that help you do what you love and look for ways that you can use them at a new job.
What talents do you have? - Take a look at the things you are especially good at. They may be things that helped you in your career so far. Think about ways that you can transfer those same skills to a new career.
What are you willing to do to make the change? - If your career transition requires additional education and training, find out what you need to do and make sure that you have the ability and the resouces to complete it.
Are you able to turn your plan into action? - Don't get so bogged down in thinking about what you need to do to make the switch that you become frozen.
Even if it seems daunting, look for little ways to work on it so that you don't lose momentum.
Have you ever changed careers? What helped you the most? Please share your thoughts and tips in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for FinancialJobBank and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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