New Year – New Career: How to Make a Change Without Loss

More of us do this than not. We decide on a career while we are still pretty
young; we pursue the education and/or training we need to have, and we take
our place on that career path. A number of years go by, and we become less and
less enchanted in our careers. What are we really doing with our lives? What are
we contributing to the betterment of either other people or of society in general?
Suddenly, we feel small and insignificant. And we know we have to make a
change. The question is, how do we do this without suffering losses – loss of a
career path we have built, loss of income, loss of prestige and respect from
others?
You Have to Get Over It
This is certainly easier said than done, and it is not an easy journey that you are
about to take. On the one hand, you really want to make a change; on the other
hand, you can be your worst obstacle. As mentioned above, you have all of these
fears, and they will stall you unless you can make the mental shift to get over
them.
Consider what your life will be like if you stay just where you are. Do you want to
retire at 65-70 with the knowledge that your entire work life has been wrong for
you? Consider the regrets you will have. This one thought should be foremost in
your mind, rather than one you may lose by a career change. Think instead of
what you will lose if you do not make a change.
Where to Begin
Begin by throwing all of the normal steps out the window. You can access job
boards; you can take career-interest inventories; you can develop a resume and
contact recruiters. But here is what you will find. The only positions you qualify
for are those that are related to your current career field. You are not looking for
a job change – you want a career change, and that will require a different
approach. Instead, here are some things you might want to do, and most of them
you can carry out while still in your current position, collecting that paycheck.
The key is that all of these things require action, not just thought.

1. Take a course or two. Have you always loved to write? Take a journalism or
creative writing class. Maybe you will discover that it’s really not for you.
Good. Eliminating those things that you have thought about narrows the
field a bit.
2. Make connections with new types of people. Chances are your
relationships have revolved around the same people over many years. It is
time to widen those horizons and get to know people from diverse
backgrounds. One of the best ways is to begin volunteering or to join
clubs/organizations that put you in contact with new people whose careers
and interests are “foreign” to you. One unhappy aeronautical engineer
joined a networking group focused on real estate. It was an area he knew
nothing about. Gradually, he developed an abiding interest in housing for
the poor. Today, he has his own business – buying depressed properties,
cleaning them up, and renting them through the federal Section 8 housing
program. He has become so “invested” in these neighborhoods that he now
fundraises to purchase abandoned buildings and set up community centers
for kids.
3. Don’t go it alone. Inertia is a “killer,” and it’s easy to remain inert when
others are not around to provide support and hold you accountable. Seek
out others, maybe even in your current organization, who feel “stuck” like
you do. Form a pact that you will push each other to stay active in your
pursuits, bounce ideas off of one another; use one another as “career
coaches” of sorts.
4. Widen your base of general knowledge. Don’t read books on career change.
Instead, spend time online exploring career fields. If you are an investment
advisor, do you know anything about teaching? About photography? About
broadcasting or blogging or the law? Gaining at least a cursory
understanding about what others do for a living may easily spark something
in you. When it does, it might be worth pursuing further. And don’t just
think about it - take some action. Take a day off and shadow someone in a
career field that has sparked your interest; set up a lunch or dinner meeting
with an acquaintance in a career that had piqued your curiosity.
5. Taking action may mean going back to school. If all of your research and
activities have resulted in an “aha” moment, then you must pursue that
career. It may mean that you return to formal education, even if only part-
time while you keep your current position. A Ph.D. school administrator
recalled this journey. She had spent many years in school getting that Ph.D.
It was a major struggle, even to the point that, when she had to produce
her dissertation, she had to seek help from a writing service, Rewarded
essays. About eight years into her career, however, she realized it was a
bad choice. At a high school reunion, she ran into a friend she had not
stayed in touch with – a friend who was now a lawyer working for the Legal
Aid Society in her state. Based upon that conversation, this school principal
had her “aha” moment. She was back in school the next semester, but this
time the struggle was not so tough – she was in a field that fascinated her.
Today, she is a public defender and loving what she does.
6. Don’t give up too soon. When career changes fail, it is often because
seekers expect a rapid change. This is a journey, not a short hop, and it
could take months or more.
Studies have shown that as many as 80% of employed individuals want to change
jobs, and a large percentage of this group wants to change careers entirely. You
have lots of company. The keys to making a successful change are taking action if
only to discover what is not a “fit,” exploring different career “worlds,”
considering what will bring you a sense of personal fulfillment, and, above all,
patience and persistence.