It’s Sunday evening and you already feel nauseous just at the thought of having to go to work the next morning, and dragging yourself all week long. You can’t stand that job, or your colleagues or your boss anymore. It is time for you to make a change. But the insecurity this thought brings about is holding you back. Following are a few tips to help you make the leap.
According to Statistics Canada, 2/3 of Baby Boomers now in their fifties have been in the same job all their working life. The Gen X show a different picture, however: they hold a job for an average of 3.4 years; the Gen Y hold theirs for an average of 2.7 years. If this trend is any indication, Canadians will change jobs 15 times during their working life. Having doubts? These figures are from a survey with 4,000 Canadians, issued in the Thinkopolis IV, Time to work2 report.
Does changing jobs this often, however, bring changes in careers? According to this survey, people may change careers 2 to 3 times during their lifetime. Even yours truly have decided one day to leave everything behind and start all over in a new field (up to 5 times for one of the authors!).
Changing careers can be a tremendously positive experience, if well planned and not done on a whim. It must be well thought out, all the pitfalls anticipated. This requires patience and can be a painful process, while sticking to a job that makes you sick, but the rewards make it worth it as happiness in the new career is the desired outcome.
- Put your finances in order. Pay your debts and meet with a financial planner. This way, you can determine if you can afford the change. For example, if you are thinking of starting a business, you may need to go through several months of lean times; a professional planner will help you with the financial details and help you make the change. To be dying of hunger and buried in debt will not make you happy.
2. Determine what is important to you: lifestyle or revenue? This will help you find out what will make you happy and make a better decision regarding your career change. Business trips make you sick? Find a career that will allow to stay in your headquarters – i.e. your home. You may make less money but you will certainly be happier. You love to work in a team? Going solo may be the worst decision in that case, and your best option would be to work in an organization, as opposed to becoming self-employed.
3. Find an occupation that inspires you. Working to put food on the table may be over now, and you may well be in a position to do what you really like – especially if your pocketbook allows it. If this is the case, find out what your true passions are, your talents, and what you have always wanted to do. Success is better achieved when we are happy in what we are doing. It’s perfectly ok to start in a field in which you have less experience. This new learning can only bring positive results, even if the paycheck is smaller for a while.
4. Changing careers may require going back to school or getting more training. If this is the case, it is possible that the big leap be postponed for a while. Be patient and, more importantly, try to avoid discussing your plans at the office. It will be difficult to explain to your employers why you are following courses in a field that has no relation to your present job. They may become weary and even try to replace you, in order to avoid dealing with the typical demotivated employee – a situation that happens more often than we think.
5. Changing careers does not mean burning bridges: take care of your contacts! Only fools don’t change their mind; you may one day wish to take a step back. Furthermore, it is quite possible that you will be doing business with your contacts one day. A network is like friendship: it requires a little effort. Offer your help when you can, send messages to show you are still there, and to catch up. Word-of-mouth is one of the best tools you can use to drive business.
| “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” |
| Confucius |
Your experiences define you. Nothing is lost, and what you did before will serve you in a different way. Any comments? Please share them here or on our blog page at: https://consultationettraduction.com/
You can reach the authors at: consultation.virtus@outlook.com or mj.verhaaf@gmail.com
Anick Lamothe and Marie-Josee Verhaaf
Work. Words...and life 