16/01/2022
Getting prepared for a career change
Do you plan to change your career in 2022 or in the future?
Many people stay in their career because this is what they went to university for and they feel like they have to stay in the same field even if they are not passionate and happy anymore. Many changes can occur from when we chose the field of study as we get older.
We may change our interest or the market and the world is changing, just like what we are currently experiencing with the pandemic.
Do you find yourself unsatisfied in your career and show up just because you feel stuck? Well, change is possible.
If this sounds like you, keep reading the steps below that helped me to prepare myself for change:
1. Get clear on your WHY. – Why a new career will make your life better?
Evaluate your current job what you like and dislike. It will become clear whether you need some readjustment at your current role, a new job or a new career.
It’s critical at this stage not to get stuck on HOW you are going to do it. This can block you, because the current version of yourself can’t know what will happen in the future and what skill sets and information you will need. If you think too much about how you will make a transition, you will get caught up in many details that will suddenly become big and scary. This can lead to making decisions from fear, which most of the time will hold you back. By taking actions and next steps you will acquire skills and build new muscles for new solutions.
So, having a strong WHY will help you to focus on the desired direction.
2. Prepare financially 💰
A career change can take time. Make sure that you have bill-paying power for a year or more. Take into consideration the cost of additional courses that you may need.
3. Take a closer look at your passions and natural talents 🧐
I spent some time really thinking of my passions, what I love doing, and what difference I’d like to make. This is very different than when I was choosing what to study at university.
At this stage, you don’t even need to have a career in mind but get prepared mentally and explore broadening your skills.
Do not try to change overnight.
I remember that I was saying to my coach that I didn’t know what ‘it’ is, I just knew that there had to be another way to give much more and I was open to explore and to find out what ‘it’ is.
Spend some time doing your hobbies. Take some courses like painting, sewing, pottery or volunteer. I found it a very important step to experience what I enjoy doing. It gave me an idea about how I would like to feel doing my daily job. This can be a big mind shift from ‘I have to do it’ - to – ‘I want to do it’.
The last thing you want while making all the efforts to change your career is to end up doing something that you dislike.
Knowing your core needs, values, skills, and beliefs is crucial. There are many coaching tools to help you discover it.
4. Make a decision (if you don’t already know) 👍
Choosing what to do next is not always easy. When the time comes to narrow it down, combine what you have found out about yourself from your internal work and the market.
5. Do research and take actions 👩💻
Do a study on a career you have thought about. Explore what skills you already have and what skills you will need to develop. You may need additional education, courses or training.
Connect with someone from your personal or professional network who is already in the profession you want to pursue. They may give you valuable information to get started.
Study successful people in the field and model them.
6. Make a plan 📋
This includes the time, finance, resources, education (if needed), and practice. If you still have a full-time job you may want to take an evening course, wake up earlier to study or use weekends and vacation days to study. I was so curious and excited about the course that I was taking during my transition period that I didn’t mind using my holidays to attend seminars and trainings.
7. Own who you want to be in the future and get an accountability buddy 👩⚖️
Get a vision of who and where you want to be in 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 years. What people would you like to be surrounded with, if you turn back what would you be proud of, how would you feel?
A coach will guide you through steps to discover your authentic talents and develop strategies for transformation.
Often what you think is wrong with you is exactly what you need to do – it’s your authentic calling. What gives you energy and you can’t explain it, is the voice to follow. If you don't listen to it, at a certain point it will start screaming.
A coach is not going to tell you what to do. No one else knows better than you what your passion is. However, asking the right questions can help you through all the steps above. That way, you will make a quicker transition. It will help you to adopt the right mindset to own who you want to be, turn your fears into actions, and go smoothly through the challenging times.
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