Career Changers: 6 Steps To Becoming ‘Unstuck’

Are you ‘stuck’ in a career you dislike? Have you found your job or career path disappear amongst the rubble of the financial crises?

Do you want to change careers but feel ‘tied’ due to the salary you earn within your established career? Do you sometimes get excited by the idea of doing something completely different – but then find yourself (or others) talk you out of doing anything about it?

If this sounds like you, then you need to shut down that brain of yours and stop listening so much to the people around you. You need to stop planning ahead and just focus on taking some baby steps to get you unstuck. Once unstuck, you’re in a much better place to push on with any type of change.

To successfully manage careers during times of uncertainty you need to stop over thinking career decisions and to stop over planning. Old style ‘Career plans’ that rely on you doing X then Y to get to point Z in your career are no longer effective in today’s work place.

Career plans in times of rapid change and uncertainty are a waste of time - the world of work is changing far too quickly. Instead, your intuition and gut instinct is far better placed to offer solutions in times of change than your rational brain. If you’re a potential career changer who is feeling ‘stuck’ - over thinking and over planning is precisely what will paralyse you into a state of inaction.

So instead of a ‘plan’, use your internal compass to nagivate you in taking just the first step so that you become unstuck and can start moving forward with purpose and confidence. Here are 6 steps to help you get unstuck by experimenting with new careers.

1. Identify what it is you are drawn to

If you were given 3 days to go and ‘test drive’ 3 new careers – absolutely any three jobs or careers that interest you – what would they be? Jobs and careers that you find yourself intrinsically drawn to are like ‘clues’ or ‘hunches’ a detective would have. Neither you nor the detective know where the hunch will lead to - but you have to take the next step and let the trail unravel as you go along.

Whilst you’re experimenting, forget how much they pay or how ‘realistic’ the 3 career ideas are. Forget what people would think if you ultimately chose to transition into those careers. Don’t worry how ridiculous it may sound for you to become a professional poker player, a chef, a maths teacher or whatever else you are drawn to.

2. Identify people in your network who can help you

Who do you know that knows someone working in the sectors which interest you? Scan through your mobile phone, look through the contacts in your diary and take a look at all the people who you are connected to on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Face Book.

3. Identify people within your contacts’ networks that can help

Which of your contacts are likely to know someone in those sectors? I can pretty much guarantee that someone within your network (or within the network of someone you know) will have the right contact – you just need to work through them, ask the right question and request their support

4. Ask for help

Make a call or send an email asking for an introduction to the type of contact you’re after.
And do it NOW whilst you’re excited and energised at the prospect of spending a day with a great chef, hanging out with a professional poker player or whatever it is that rocks your boat – take action immediately. If you put it off, you’ll convince yourself it’s a silly idea or else put it off through fear.

5. Follow up (and keep following up)

Track every single lead and new contact you collect and follow through until you get the opportunity to spend a day, half a day or even just an hour with someone doing a job that interests you.
If that means you need to take the odd day off work – then do it. If it means you need to do it in the evening or at the weekend, then make time for it. If it’s an activity or career that you are passionate about, it won’t seem like ‘work’ anyway.

6. Listen, Reflect and Adjust

Whilst doing this volunteer work and work shadowing, listen to yourself. What parts of the roles you see interest you and excite you? Truthfully, what aspects do you feel you have a natural strength for – what aspects are you likely to struggle with? Answering these questions will give you some initial thoughts on whether you want to spend more time looking into this as a career option – or adjust your search to different areas.

Listen also to the people you meet. What’s been their journey – what roles have they previously done? What other related roles exist in the industry that may also interest you? Who do they know in those sectors that you can go and spend some time with and so continue your journey towards finding your next career move?

You may never become a top chef, professional poker player or whatever dream career you have in mind right now. But spending time in these environments will open you up to related jobs or careers which you didn’t know even existed.

The work shadowing may open new doors, provide you with new ideas and new contacts that will help you make a career change which satisfies your need for a change – whilst also meeting your financial needs. But you won’t know what this career choice is unless you take the first step by listening to your instincts instead of your brain and your friends.

Is all this easy? No
Will it happen overnight? No
Will all this be a little scary at times? Yes

But it will be also be exciting and, if you follow ideas that you are personally drawn to, these steps will energise you. And even though you won’t know exactly where you are heading at times, parodoxicaly you will feel much more in control of your destiny than when you were ’stuck.’

It requires courage to step out without knowing exactly where you will end up. But once you realise that the ‘pain’ associated with being stuck (frustration, anger, fear, loss of confidence) is far worse than the pain of stepping out into the unknown – it will give you a huge lift.

The 6 steps above won’t magically transform you into a new career overnight – they will get you kick started by getting you out of a that rut and moving forward – which is the very first part of any career change.

So what are you waiting for? Go back to the top of the page and take the first step……

By Sital Ruparelia, Cross posted on the 6 Figure Career Management blog

Comments

[Ernie Perez]

Breat 6 step process, especially # 6. Listen.

[elizabeth]

There are some folks who are tone deaf and truly don't know how to access their intuitive vibes. What do you suggest for those folks?

[Sital]

@Ernie - thank you

@Elizabeth - they may want to write instead. Journaling, keeping a diary or simply get an blank page and write whatever's on your mind. keep writing and (with practice), will start tuning into "intuitive vibe" as you put it

[air jordan]

Never too old to learn.

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