Changing careers begins with being open to new possibilities.
Changing Careers
If you are deeply unsatisfied with your current career then what stops you from changing careers? If you have been working in various jobs and regret not taking up a career path then what would it take to pursue a career now? The key is to ask the right questions and to be open to new possibilities.
Being pro-active and confident about managing your work life is a transforming life skill.
Having the courage to be true to yourself brings extraordinary benefits in your happiness, quality of life, self esteem and health. If you are not sure about deciding on a career, you can read more about getting clear about this here. You may also like to read about fears that make us scared about changing jobs.
Changing careers requires a significant investment of your time, energy and finances. This needs to be balanced against the costs of staying in a career or job where you are miserable, especially if you have a sense of dread about the remaining decades of your worklife.
Over the years I’ve had many clients in their thirties and forties who have enrolled in University courses requiring several years of study. Each one has concluded it was absolutely worth changing careers, despite the challenges.
Mason was 40 when he came to see me feeling utterly depressed. Following family tradition he was a successful professional but felt he was trapped in the wrong career. The prospect of twenty or more years was unbearable but he believed he was too old to change his career. I posed the question “is it worth the investment of 6 years at University if an 18 year old wants to retire at the age of 50?” Mason’s response was ‘of course.’ In Masons’ new career there were people in their seventies still working happily and productively, in fact the most senior positions were held by people beyond the general retirement age of 67. This shift in perspective helped free Mason to be true to himself and commit to changing careers.
Our process involved dealing with the fears and barriers to changing careers. Working on values, Mason realised it was more important to him to set up 20 or more years in a rewarding and fulfilling career and to accept a trade off of lower income while he was studying. He returned to University and strategised a balance of study, income and some lifestyle adjustments.
We also worked on keeping motivation strong enough to see it through. Check back for my articles on motivation soon to be posted.
Careers counselors can help you to discover a new career focus and help you choose study options whether these are private education colleges, University, TAFE or online courses. Many universities offer flexible study options including summer school and external studies options for many courses. Onsite staff can often help with applications and enrolments.
There is a lot of help available and the sooner you take charge the sooner you can make it happen!
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