I recently left my career as an Assistant Program Manager, and though it was bitter-sweet, I knew it was time for me to move on and follow my passions. This move would’ve been more nerve-racking if my wife and I didn’t have a plan we implemented 18 months prior to my departure. Knowing what we want out of life; our passions, our goals, will help us determine what path we need to take regarding our careers.
Experts have stated that a “Great Resignation” is inevitable and 25 to 40% of the workforce will be looking to make career changes in the near future. This in part is due to the pandemic and people realizing what’s really important to them. For me it’s family, time, and health. For others it could be progression, status, and work-life balance. All are important, but determining our WHY is the most important aspect of our career change.
Why do I want to leave my current job and do something else? Is it the culture? Is it the job itself? Or is it just that I’m ready for a change of pace and don’t love the job like I used to? Once we identify our reason for wanting to make a career change, we can set ourselves up for success in finding what fits our passions. Our strengths and weaknesses or skill set can help us determine what jobs or career path we would enjoy, but knowing our WHY will put things into perspective.
Look for jobs that fit the description of your WHY and go from there. If we prefer working from home or part time, look for jobs that provide that as an option. If we prefer jobs in office and a good work-life balance, we would start there. Realistically some jobs or careers may not have everything we want, but still fall under what we’re looking for as far as change. My initial WHY when I started my career in a call center was I needed stable work to provide for my family. I was a traveling mechanic before that, and the money was great; however, I was tired of being away from my family for weeks every time I went to work.
The call center job gave me the stability I was looking for. Though I wasn’t invested as a call center rep at first, I started to see that I could make a career out of it and grow where I was planted. I advanced in the company shortly after that. But even though I invested almost 9 years of my time with the company, spending more time with family, loved ones, and looking into things I wanted to learn more about (like investing and writing) was more important. I’m thankful we were prepared and in a position to make the transition happen.
So if you’re thinking about making a career change, here’s 3 things that can help:
1. Know your WHY– This can help in making sure you are in the career field that’s most fulfilling or has the potential growth you’re looking for.
2. Prepare for the transition– Do your homework on the position, company or business you’re looking to become a part of. This can help you make a lasting impression on people who are in charge of your advancement (interviewers, managers, entrepreneurs). Also, make sure your income is where it needs to be so changing careers will not have a negative impact on finances. If you’ll be making less money but will be happier, still weigh the cost of starting a new career. Do you have enough money in savings to cover bills if needed? Can you live off the money you’ll be making comfortably starting out? Creating a budget can help with this.
3. Take the leap of faith and believe you can do it– Fully commit to taking the steps to start a new career. Once you’ve taken the steps, got the job, and are in position, believe you will continue to be successful and grow from there.
Starting a new job or career can be challenging and peak our anxiety at times. But the biggest step in overcoming our mental hurdles, is looking at why we took the leap of faith in the first place. We took it confidently knowing we could do it and be successful regardless of difficulties. We chose this path and are ready to succeed on the journey. Even when we encounter challenges along the way, we did our best to prepare for this change, so keep going, and take it one day at a time!
Not Your Average Boss 