Are you bored with your job?
Is it time for a career change but you’re just not sure what direction to take?
I’ll bet you’ve got a mortgage to pay, kids to feed or maybe even child support payments that just can’t lapse. So you’re not sure how adventurous you can really be with all those responsibilities hanging over your head. You need some new ideas and a couple of ways to get started so the transition isn’t quite so bumpy.
Try this:
Read some of the futurists predictions of the hot careers and jobs in the next decade. Try Faith Popcorn’s Dictionary of the Future and Alvin and Heidi Toffler’s Revolutionary Wealth to jump start your brain. It’ll get your thinking unstuck and give you a head start to plan, prepare and position yourself in a new industry so you can make the leap as soon as possible.
Read Po Bronson’s book, What Should I Do With My Life? You’ll get insights into how other people made the switch to work that was much more exciting and meaningful. Many of them had no clue what their next step might be or how they would even make a next step happen.
Make a list. Jot down all the activities, tasks, functions you’ve enjoyed doing in all the jobs you’ve ever held. After you get a page or two, start categorizing them into main groups. You’ll start to see the categories appear about 3/4 of the way through your list. This will give you a clue as to what you’re passionate about. Throw in all the non-paid work you’ve done too. Don’t forget all the recreational activities, sports, hobbies, etc. They’ll fit into your categories…you’ll see.
Get to the library or bookstore and peruse the magazines that target those main categories. Or do a search on the web for those topics. (Are you getting the sense you’ll be doing a bit of reading throughout this early stage?) You need as much information as possible in order to sift through all the options and narrow the field. There’s stuff out there that you don’t even know exists right now, so you need to fill your brain with all the possibilities.
Talk to folks. Pick up the phone, log onto email, meet for coffee, etc. and pick the brains of those who are doing the things you are interested in. Even if they’re not doing the EXACT same things, but close, talk to them anyway. Find out how they got started, what are the bumps in the road you should expect, what are the daily joys of the work they do. Then ask them the million dollar question: “Who else do you know that I should contact for more information?”
Make an action plan. The more reading you do and the more people you talk to, the more clarity you will get regarding “next steps”. Start your action plan anyway, even though it will be loose, messy and disorganized at first. Don’t wait for it to be perfect, or reasonable, or make a lot of sense. Start NOW – don’t wait!
Remember Laura’s Headlight Theory: Too many people expect they will see their path illuminated from beginning to end. They don’t have the patience or the ability to deal with the ambiguity of not knowing. Your path will be lit and clear for only a short distance, then you’ll get more information, talk to the right person, and your path will light up a little further than before. The farther you go and the more you know, the further that light will shine. Over time, the easier it will become for you to see further and have more clarity regarding “next steps”.
Don’t expect to have all the answers in the early stages. Don’t give up early on because it feels too “loosey goosey”. And most importantly, don’t allow anyone else to squash your dreams, your goals and your exploration process. You’ve got a long life ahead of you and you deserve to spend the time doing something you really enjoy – something that makes you bounce out of bed in the morning – something that doesn’t in any way feel like work!
Happy New Year!
Laura, writing from 6711 feet above sea level
