Career Change Is Inevitable

Is your career changing? If you are like the majority of people in the workforce today, the answer is probably yes. Companies thrive on change, and most change very quickly. But how are you handling your change? Are you going with it, or hoping that you can ride it out? Or, are you wishing that your change would go away? Change is not easy for most people. We like our routines and want to know what is coming our way. Change throws us off course. It makes us think and makes us do more work. Change forces us to look at ourselves and come up with a new plan or perspective. Change adds fear and uncertainty to our lives. The truth is we just don't like it very much. But change is inevitable in your career. Maybe it's a new boss that you weren't expecting. Or, a new job or career. Maybe your industry is going away or your company is closing. Maybe your skills are not needed anymore. Whatever the change, you have a decision to make. Either bury your head in the sand or tackle it head on. So How Can You Effectively Handle Change In Your Career? 1. Don't Wait Until It's Too Late You know what I mean. You see change coming, but you believe it won't affect you. So, you go along your merry way and then "bam" all of a sudden, you are hit in the face with change, and your world is turned upside down. Don't let this happen to you. As soon as you see change, accept it. Expect it to affect you. Expect it to alter the way you see yourself and your career. This way you will take it seriously and do something about it. 2. Understand That You Have The Power To Make Your Change When change is upon us, and we haven't prepared for it, we feel powerless. We feel like something is happening to us, and forget that we have a say. If you put the power back into your hands, you will feel better. You will have hope. Hope gives you energy and the momentum to move past fear and uncertainty, and into something that will be better suited and less stressful for you. 3. Research Your Change Most people fear change because it can happen quickly. But there is a way to slow change down and that's through the power of research. Anticipating change early on will give you time to plan for it. Do your homework. Ask yourself what the change will mean to your career and what your choices are. Then, go online and get your answers. And what you can't find online, get from people. Research makes your decisions easier and more powerful because you know what your options are, and you can act based on sound reasoning and judgment and not how you feel in the moment. 4. Make Your Change There are times in life when you have to take a leap of faith. Once you have accepted that change is inevitable and you have done the legwork, it's time to go for it and implement your change. Want a guarantee that it will work out or this is your last change? I can't give you one. But I can tell you that your change will be easier to make when you ride the tide instead of going against it.