A Career Change Can Be Hard

The topic of career change is a hot one! Today, with the economy the way it is, many people who are out of work are being forced to consider an entirely new profession, in order to find a job in a field that is growing and employers who are hiring.

Because I do career coaching, this subject has come up recently in discussions with my clients. But also on a personal level, I have received a lot of inquiries from my GIS colleagues, so I thought I would write about it.

Many of you who have known me a long time, have asked about my own personal career change out of over 20 years in GIS into a new career of business and career coaching. There are several aspects I will discuss here.

The first is that it is very rare nowadays for one person to do the same thing their entire life. I heard one statistic that people change careers up to 8 times in their life. I think 2 or 3 careers in a lifetime is perhaps more realistic.

With increased lifespans, if a person ends up doing the same thing for all of their working years, it can get boring pretty quickly. Plus, as you change and grow as a person, what you have always done for a living may not be a fit anymore. In your early 20s, when you choose a subject to study (or a career to pursue) in college, it’s hard to know if that career will still be a fit for you when you’re 40 or even 60 years old.

So how do you change out of one career into another, especially if you have deep emotional ties to the people (colleagues, co-workers, etc.) in a certain career field (as I did with GIS)?

Focus on moving forward.

If you are burned out in a job or a career, and/or ready for a change, how do you know when it’s time to move on? Consider:

How much have you accomplished in that career field lately?

Are you still coming up with new ideas?

Do you have anything else to contribute in that field?

Are you still able to earn a living in this field, or are job prospects slim?

              Are you eager to learn new things? Or do you roll your eyes at the prospect?

If you can’t answer with an excited “YES!” to most of these questions, then it’s probably time to move on.

Focus on moving forward and what’s in front of you, even if it’s scary. There is something better waiting for you.

For me personally, moving forward and embracing my newfound coaching career in its entirety was very difficult to do. Even though coaching is a perfect fit for me, and I truly believe it was what I was meant to do, I hung on to my old career for a while. Because I had been successful in GIS, and was “known” as a well-respected software instructor for many years, it was difficult for me to let go of that persona.

So why did I leave?

For a while I lived in two worlds, using my job as a “loan” while I built up my coaching practice (a strategy I learned from my own coach!). However, things had changed a lot in GIS – from easier-to-use integrated technologies, to not as much demand for in-person instructor-led training anymore. All of the companies I was certified to teach for had made significant changes to their training programs or closed them down entirely. But more than anything else, it simply wasn’t who I was anymore, even though others tried to pigeonhole me. I had simply grown out of that career (I am sure that many of you can relate!).

So how do you know what is the right path for you?

God shows you the way. He may close some doors but then others open, or he makes the path easier in a certain direction. Eventually your new career will take off! Joel Osteen calls this “an anointing of ease” – where things come to you naturally, and you are in a groove or a flow.

Now that my coaching career has started to take off, I look at the clients who I have helped in their lives, careers, and businesses, and it is very fulfilling to me. I have met some of the most amazing people, including my clients, who I wouldn’t have met if I had not started coaching. On top of that, my clients value me and appreciate the work that I do. I have a new book – Entrepreneur Extraordinaire – coming out in a few weeks (Listen to the free tele-summit book launch here). Now I can look ahead to the future with excitement and a high expectation from this new career. If you think about it, when I first started out on my own teaching GIS and GPS, I didn’t know I would be successful either.

The bottom line is that you have to do what is right for you, regardless of what other people tell you. There will be always be naysayers. Careers (and jobs!) can plateau or are no longer fulfilling – hey it happens (that is a great time to consult a career coach by the way!).

Another thing I will say is follow your heart. Don’t do what others expect you to do. I had to come up with what worked for me, based on my skills, background, and experience. I was fortunate because there is a lot of overlap in the skills used in training and those used in coaching. You may have to get some additional education. But whatever it is, move forward. Change is hard – sometimes it is difficult to let go of the old – your old life, old ties, old friends (and colleagues), and move into the new! But do it, because the rest of your life is waiting for you!

Now I ask you – what are your stories?

Any career changers out there who want to share your perspective?