Picture this:
You’ve been doing the same job for a long time. Whatever luster it once had, is long gone. Maybe it was never the right job for you. You start thinking about career change.
You go on vacation to a beautiful remote exotic location and you do yoga on the beach and you are in a state of euphoria and you conclude – “that’s it. I’m chucking it all, I’m moving to Bora Bora to teach beach yoga.”
Or you join a CrossFit gym and it’s all new and exciting and challenging, and you say, “That’s it. I’m chucking it all, and I’m going to be a CrossFit coach.”
Here’s the thing for career change -
liking an experience is not the same as being good at the SKILLS required for the JOB/TASK you need to perform.
Just because I like participating in CrossFit doesn’t mean I will be a good CrossFit coach. They are two different things completely.
Chucking it is a big deal. It’s disruptive, costly and does a number on your self-confidence because you’re doing something completely new and different.
In order for career change to work successfully, you need to be sure first – that the job/task you’re going to be doing is one that you’re actually good at – dare I say – genius at. Second, and only second, you need to determine the who you’re doing it for is something that you care about.
But that comes second, only after you figure out the first part, first.
I see people fall into this trap all the time; and it’s because they’re so eager to get out of the pain that they’re in now. I get it; it’s real. I’ve been there myself.
And you do want to take action. Life is short; there are no do overs or medals for sticking with a joyless endeavor for 40 years.
But set yourself up so you can be as successful as possible with the career change and so you’re not jumping from the frying pan to the fire.
Slow down, do your homework and make a transition that honors who you are at your essence and capitalizes on your strengths and what you do best, bringing those talents to the industries you care most about. How can you lose with that recipe?
Btw, if you want to discover some programs that guide you through this process, please check out some of my offerings.