Changing Careers (when you have no experience or idea what to do)
Published September 15, 2021
Have you reached the point where you want to change your career path but don’t know how to get started or which way you should go? Changing careers can be a period of immense frustration when you question your self-worth, skills or expertise.
Why is it hard to change careers?
It’s common to feel conflicting emotions when switching careers, particularly if dissatisfied with your job. This may mean that you’re thinking about escaping from your career instead of moving toward a new one, negatively influencing your thought processes.
Applying for jobs takes energy, and if you’re not in the right frame of mind, it can become more complex. For example, if you make it through the application process to a job interview, you may struggle to put a positive spin on your past work experiences.
“This is hardly surprising as how can anyone tell positive stories when they’re unconsciously trying to run away from something? ”
Other issues arise when people head online looking for solutions with no clear purpose. Have you ever taken a career quiz and found that it has suggested something that doesn’t match your experience? Or perhaps you started researching the job market to see what choices you have but find yourself endlessly scrolling instead? Rather than solving your problem, it just leaves you feeling more demotivated and stuck in your current career than you were before.
The four life stages of a career
A career is something we define after the event. We may have an idea as we progress through the different stages of our lives as to what it is, but it isn’t until we look back that we can see the path we have taken. Careers typically follow this pattern:
- Competing and succeeding (early 20s to mid-30s)
When we first enter the workplace after school, we are keen to establish ourselves. During this period, we constantly compete to succeed as we get on the career ladder and acquire skills.
- Belonging (mid-30s to 40s)
By this point in our career, we begin seeking a workplace that can offer a culture that aligns with our values and give us a sense of belonging. We strive to find our place in the social world and settle.
- Meaning and purpose (mid-40s to mid-60s)
We might look to change careers as we seek to find our purpose. By now, we have developed all our skills and are in a senior or mentoring position. We start to question who we are and begin exploring new avenues as we define our identity.
- Self-actualisation - doing something bigger than ourselves (mid-60s to 80s)
There is a certain point in our careers where we peak. This can come from our inner ageism as we feel we no longer belong. Our energy also declines, and we no longer seek approval or feel the need to be more than we are.
How to successfully change careers
The key to changing careers is to set specific goals. That may seem obvious, but people often avoid doing this without realising that they’re sabotaging themselves. You might wonder why anyone would deliberately stand in their way, but many different thought patterns can undermine us.
A typical thought pattern that can hold us back from success is the fear of failure. If we don’t set realistic goals, then we don’t have to worry about failing. We can also be just scared of success. If we achieve our goals, then we will have a new set of problems.
It can be tough to venture beyond our comfort zone and begin again as we risk losing everything we have worked so hard to achieve.
Setting realistic goals
The goal of wanting to change career is not specific enough by itself. I recommend thinking about the skills that you have and what you like doing. Consider what motivates you and be honest with yourself. For example, are prestige and money necessary to you, or do you feel fulfilled helping people and the community?
Once you have worked out what is important to you, you can research how the job market can deliver on that. Analyse job ads to see if there is a gap between your education and experience that will hold you back from where you want to get.
This may mean that you need to do some formal education or online learning. When you apply for jobs, you can show that you’re serious about changing careers rather than just testing the waters, which some employers may look favourably on.
Conclusion
You may find that when you go through this process that your current career already delivers and that a career change may not be the answer to whatever problems you are experiencing.
When I coach with people who have this realisation, we dig deeper to find the root cause of their dissatisfaction.
We then create a plan to help them fall back in love with their career.
Quite a lot of people, once they start being happy at work, decide to stay.
