Introduction

What are the things that stop people from changing their career? That question has always fascinated me. What stopped me from making a career change for so long is still something I think about regularly.

 

You see, most people consider changing their career but never get started. Instead, they daydream about moving to a more exciting industry or about quitting their job and creating their own business. But the daydream is displaced by the business of work or other pressing matters, and the window of opportunity closes.

 

I've thought deeply about this reluctance to change, to get started to strike out for something new and exciting. From personal hindsight and through my coaching work, I've found some simple career change truths. Knowing these truths, or secrets as I describe them here will help you loosen your grip on your current role and get you moving towards something more attractive.

 

I've called these the 5 career change secrets. Let's start with secret No 1

1.   You need to be honest about your current role

We are not fond of change. Inertia is our thing, and when it comes to work and careers, this tends to limit our career movement. In addition to this, when we immerse ourselves within a role or an organisation, it can become easy to be content with the mediocre without considering that better alternatives might exist elsewhere.

 

Most people describe their jobs as OK or tell you how 'good' their job is. But we can do better than mediocrity. And, if your current role is a good job, but not a good job for you, then it's not a good job.

 

Maybe you need to hear this as well?

 

Try to be honest about your current role. How much do you enjoy what you do? What happens to your energy levels when you work? How much do you look forward to work on a Monday?

 

It can be hard to see what's possible for you before you start, so the second secret is that …

2.   Your alternative career options take some time to show up

 

One of the myths of career change is that you will discover what you want to do in a blinding flash. By thinking hard about some things that look interesting, you will suddenly get an epiphany about your career.

 

The problem with this idea is that you are unlikely to have already prepared the ground to explore your options, and therefore you have no focus of interest. Everything could be an option, and therefore nothing is an option. Like looking for a new car when you have no idea what size, colour, make or features you are looking for in a vehicle.

 

Or, like you are trying to open a fancy safe with 3 dials for which you need the right combination on each dial. But you are trying to open the safe without any idea what the dials should be set to.

 

You are probably wondering how you find the dial combinations. That leads onto secret No 3 …

    

3.   You have all the answers; a good coach will help you to access this information.

When it comes to making a change in your career, the new option you choose should fit you like a glove; that's the ideal. The only way it can be a good fit for you, however, is to match the role to who you are. The principal determinants are your:

 

-           Motivated skills

-           Your values

-           Things you're interested in

-           Your personality

 

These are the dial combinations referred to in the previous secret.

 

Where does this information come from? You! This is unique to you and only you. The challenge is that it is hard to fully recover all this information on your own.

 

That's where a good coach comes in. They will help you to see these things and understand yourself well enough to find a new role that will match who you are right now.

 

So, this is all vital to know, as is the fact that …

 

4.   Most of the worries you have about changing career don't materialise

 

As well as not knowing what's possible for you in your career, there are some things that 'block' your progress in getting started.

 

These things include:

 

-           Perceived lack of confidence

-           Not wanting to deal with the process of change

-           Financial worries

-           Meeting new people / saying goodbye to work colleagues

What I've found is almost all of these worries and concerns dissipate when you get started. But, unfortunately, they are vacuous thoughts that are not a good predictor of how things are likely to go.

 

Have you ever been invited to a party and not wanted to go? But you went anyway, and you had a great time.

 

The fact you didn't want to go wasn't a predictor as to whether you would enjoy the party.

 

It's the same with your career change. So, you can set aside the worries you have before you start because most aren't going to show up on your career change journey, which reminds me of the quote by Mark Twain.

 

 

This leads me on to secret No 5 …

5.   You can't think your way into making a career change.

One of the biggest reasons people don't get started in their career change is that they wait until they have settled on a destination before taking the first steps.  

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way; you need to take action first to understand yourself better and then move towards options that seem like they will be a good match for you.  Taking action in pursuit of a better career is vital.

 

So, there you have it, the 5 things you need to know about a career change. I hope you have found these words helpful.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about career coaching with me, look at my website to see the many ways I can help you in your career.

 

If you are unsure about career coaching, let's have an informal chat.

 

Bye for now!

 

Mark