In life, we expect the first venture out of college to become the only venture. As we navigate through life, the venture transforms into something different, ranging from lack of fulfillment and burnout to job advancement, our reasons force us to rethink.
Specifically, it leads us to a career change. Career changes provide a challenging opportunity to try our luck at another industry or job. Unfortunately, this bold move sinks our successful career to the bottom. The good news is the risk may be worth the reward only if we plan for it. View it as a comeback story.
Know your reasons for a career change
Before embarking on a comeback story, a person has to leave. A career change is a risky idea, and saying goodbye to the current career is tough. The best ending is reasoning.
Why are you leaving your current job? A bad boss, terrible co-workers or irritating customers aren’t enough. Every job comes with something unlikeable, and escaping that is impossible. Dig deeper for the answer.
Great answers are aiming for your dream career and building something for your children. Both answers lean toward personal enrichment and happiness, and those answers lead toward something instead of running away from it.
Stay humbled
As you begin to start over, understand the current industry’s experiences won’t carry over just because you succeeded. The success doesn’t mean anything in the new career; the bottom, unfortunately, is the endgame.
This revelation is a mental breaking point. Therefore, confront the idea and solve it prior to diving into the new career. Consider this a humbling time during the career change. Learn to accept any break and advance toward the goal. Success happened once; it can happen again.
Forget the fear of failing and take action!
Our defense mechanism for failure is reason. We think that if we can prevent it by thinking of solutions and researching, we won’t fail. We are failing because we are wasting time coming up with solutions to something that may never occur. Therefore, we’re not acting at all. We stay stuck in the same situation because we are afraid to take action.
The learning lesson begins when we take action. Action begins with a plan. Mingle with people who can guide you to jobs. Attend the job and interact now. Cross off the job if it doesn’t fit. Don’t view this as failure; it’s a test guiding you to the correct answer. Continue the mingle-job-interaction-elimination routine until the right job comes to mind, and then aim for that career. Collect any lessons learned along the way.
Use past knowledge
A goodbye to the now-past career doesn’t mean ignoring existing skills. The trick is using those skills in different ways. This is where creativity comes in. An example is using connections to steer you toward jobs or opportunities to break into the new industry. Public speaking skills, technology skills, teamwork, customer interaction and problem-solving skills are mandatory in every field.
Gain new knowledge
Newsflash: relying on past knowledge, connections and resources doesn’t give career-changing seekers an edge. It places them on the same level as qualified people in the new industry—or does it?
The disadvantage is the competitors’ advantages: no knowledge on the new venture. The methods from previous ventures are not effective in this venture. In combustion, career changers need to gain new knowledge to compete.
A college degree, free classes, reading books or gaining certification is a great start. Make new connections through business connections, social media, associations, organizations, memberships, family, friends and educational resources.
Seek help from successful people
Strength in numbers is an ingredient for success, and a mentor is a big help toward a successful transition. Seek advisors and career coaches who are in the venture. These people provide a perspective not obtained by researching or reading about it.
It’s encouraging to listen to their advice—good and bad—because they understand being in your shoes. Additionally, consider people from different industries with the expertise you seek in your venture. Together, these perspectives provide a well-rounded mind.
Be patiente
A career transition doesn’t occur overnight. Did previous successes occur overnight? No, they came after weeks, months and years of consistent training, networking and experience. This is no different. View each day as a positive opportunity. Look at terrible times with a positive viewpoint. The comeback story is coming, so keep at it.
A career change is never in the cards for high school/college students, working professionals and/or families. Life throws us a curveball we never anticipated. Will you catch it? What is your game plan to success
? Answer those questions in the comments below. Let’s start a conversation. If you like the article, share it with your friends and family on social media using the social media buttons located on the page. Fingers crossed your journey is successful the second time around.
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