This is often the catalyst that makes a person think about switching careers and changing lifestyles. The two go hand-in-hand. You've heard the stories of the stockbroker and his wife who left the financial world to run a country inn, or the corporate executive who gave up a good salary and all the perks to become a teacher.
Unfortunately, few of us gave much thought to our careers when we were starting out. Unless we were lucky, we didn't have the foresight, the discipline, or the know-how to think about and select careers for the long term that are attuned to our talents and things we like to do. This is borne out by the Rockford Institute, a career consulting organization, that reports, "More than 50 percent of working professionals say they may have picked the wrong career direction. Often they feel stuck with the choices they have made and don't know how to go about choosing a new career path."
What Do We Mean by Switching Careers?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 10 percent of the workforce change careers each year. That is a small percentage considering the size of our working population. Many people are deceived by the term "switching careers." The fact is very few people actually change careers in the sense that they perform work that is completely different from what they did in the past. For example, an editor may move into public relations or advertising, or become a speech writer, but that person is still employing the skills that made him or her successful in the first place.
A financial person is another example of a professional who can move into a new industry and function successfully because of his or her skills. This is true of virtually every profession. The problem in switching to a different industry is to convince the company interviewer that based on your knowledge, experience, and know-how, you can do the job. That is why it is so important to make the right choice to avoid wasting a lot of time and effort and temporarily derailing your career before getting back on the right track.
Stay Fluid
When I was introduced to a famous broadcaster while at tending college, I asked his advice about my career. "Stay fluid," he said.
I've never forgotten his advice, but it wasn't until a few years later that I gave serious thought to what those two wise words really meant. They mean taking advantage of opportunities that beckon - opportunities that you may not recognize at first. You have to learn to look for them, which involves a willingness on your part to accept challenges and try something new. They mean listening to the grapevine in both your professional and private life and being aware of what is taking place around you.
Sometimes a chance comment by a friend or business acquaintance can help you recognize a trend or trigger an idea that can assist you in your job hunt. This takes practice, but if you make a disciplined effort to look for opportunities at every turn, it becomes a habit. It all adds up to being creative and energetic, which can help you get a job or start you off on a new and exciting career path.
Amherst's Neil Yeager, manager of adult career transitions at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, tells of a man who decided he wanted to try something new after being forced out of a job he had held for 20 years, because his manufacturing company had relocated to the Far East. He put his resume together, sent it out, and received two job offers, both of which he turned down.
Twenty years ago he would have accepted one of those jobs, because he had young children and mortgage payments to meet, says Yeager. Now his kids are grown and he doesn't want the corporate grind anymore. He wants to make an impact on other people's lives, something he says he had never been able to do when he was in the rat race.
He decided to teach math and accepted a teaching job at half his former salary. He likes the contributions he makes and the satisfaction he gets from his new job.
