Is career change right for you now?

I work with many professionals who are in the midst of thinking about career changes.
They often have mixed emotions.

Which of these can you identify with?

• I spent years studying for a degree- is it going to be wasted?
• I can't do anything else.
• I don't know what else to do.
• I feel guilty switching careers in my 40s (or 50s.)
• I don't know if I can take a financial hit by starting again.

Read those again. Spot anything? Apart from the first point, they are negative statements.
​But they are typical of what I hear on a daily basis.

Nowadays, it's more common to change careers at least once, if not two or three times over a working lifetime. I did it myself around fifty. Yes, I felt sad at turning my back on something I'd always wanted to be - a teacher- but, for a combination of reasons, I knew I didn't want to carry on until retirement.

What's your driver?
I ask my clients 'Can you imagine doing your current job forever, until you retire maybe around seventy? (The age is going up and up...)
Many recoil in horror. That's their wake-up call. Some shrug and say 'Maybe', but with little conviction.

I'm not a careers adviser
At that point I don't try to slot them into a new job. I'm not a careers adviser.
But what I focus on is what makes them tick. What gets them up in the morning?
If they aren't leaping out of bed full of enthusiasm, what needs to change?

Using myself as an example (sorry- this is not really me,me,me) I knew what drove me was helping people. When I decided to be a teacher - at around 17- I was also considering being a physio. I like helping people and seeing them progress.
​And coaching followed a similar path; helping my clients reach their goals.

So what makes you tick? Don't think of a job, but think about who you are and what excites you.

Are you ready?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how positive do you feel about your job?
If it's lower than 6, you could be ready for change.

What have you done to help you decide on another career?

• I've looked at courses- degrees, Masters, diplomas.
• I've done a short course to give me a taster of my new career.
• I've talked to my boss about a possible new career path where I am.
• I've looked at my finances and worked out if I could take a salary cut while training.
• I've created a business  plan for my idea and looked into business loans.
• I've shadowed someone who's doing what I might want to do.
• I've done some work experience in that area.
• I've volunteered within the organisation or sector.
• I've signed up for job alerts for any jobs that may appeal to me.

Working through these kinds of things are what I do with my clients. They don't come to me stuck and expect me to say 'Okay, maybe you should retrain as X.'
​They do the hard work of seeing what's out there, but I help pull down the barriers that they've often put up.

​What could you do with or without me to help you?

Why I love September.

For me, it's always about new starts. More so than January. It's years since I was teaching, but as the new year starts for students, I can't help feel that same thrill. The days are still warm and between now and dark, dank November it's a perfect time to focus on your life and changes you want to make.

I've been very busy in my garden lately: tidying it up, cutting back dead wood, pruning shrubs and getting rid of anything that's that's not quite where I'd like it. And it's easy to use this analogy for our lives. 
​

• What do you want to get rid of in your life?
• What's making you unhappy and dragging you down?
• What do you want to put more of into your life?

How to focus
Knowing what you want to change is the first step. Making that happen is another.
Many of my clients have issues with time-management. I fully understand.

My focus this autumn is on self-development.
Today I've started a new online course; writing fiction. I've already had two non-fiction books published and love mentoring my writing clients. But, with two half-written novels on the back burner, I want to develop my own writing. It's a 3-hours a week commitment. Doesn't sound much, but balancing that with work, family and friends, and an hour's exercise every day, I've got to find the time somewhere.

For me, timetabling works.  I give myself a time. So, today I am committing to my course from 2-3pm. It's the only way! (I may have Plan B so that if something unexpected crops up I can still fit in that hour.)

What about you? If there is something you really want to achieve- a new job, better health and wellbeing, studying, spending more time with friends- how will you find your focus?