If you’re feeling stuck in your current job, it might be time to consider navigating a career pivot. This can be scary and stressful, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone and so many others have not only embarked on this journey but have pushed through it to happier, more fulfilling careers.
The thought of a career pivot can sound intimidating: the self-doubt, the uncertainty about what you should do next, and how to put everything into motion. But when you’re facing a decision about where to go with your career, remember that pivoting could be very effective for growing your career while still pursuing something meaningful.
When facing or considering a career pivot, consider three questions:
- What work do you do best?
- What do you want to do?
- Are there any skills or knowledge that would help make this transition easier for you?
The first two questions are about your values, interests and skills. They help you figure out what kind of work would be most fulfilling for you. You need to know what motivates you and what makes you happy. The last question helps you identify any skill gaps that may prevent you from making this transition and will also shed some light around what steps you may need to take to make your career pivot come to fruition.
Once these questions have been answered, it’s time to take action! Set a goal date for when you would like this new career to become your reality, and start taking steps toward achieving it now.
But it’s not easy. It takes courage, perseverance and tenacity to pivot successfully.
When you pivot, you’re not just changing careers—you’re changing your life. Which is wildly exciting especially when you get to look back and say, “I DID THAT!” I MADE THAT HAPPEN!’
Figuring out the right timing for a career pivot
The timing of your career pivot is important. You want to be sure that you are ready for this change, so it’s important to take some time and think about how making a career pivot will affect your life. You can’t change your life overnight; instead, think about how long it will take for you to adjust after making this decision and what resources might be necessary in order for the transition to go smoothly (for example: financial security).
You also need commitment from both yourself and those around you who support your decision–your family members or friends may not understand why their friend/partner/spouse wants to switch careers at this point in their lives! Make sure everyone understands what kind of challenges await as well; sometimes our own excitement over new opportunities can blind us into thinking everything will work out perfectly fine without any problems whatsoever when in reality there may be some hurdles along the way which could cause us stress if we aren’t prepared ahead of time!
Setting Yourself Up for Success
You might be tempted to jump right into the job search, but it’s important to do some research first. Start by checking out online job boards and talking to people in your network who are working in the field that most interests you. This will help you learn about recent trends, salaries and other information related to careers within the industry. You should also look at data regarding job satisfaction for employees in this field as well as the market itself (which may include local salary information).
One of the most important things to consider when deciding to pivot is whether or not it’s necessary for you to learn new skills. While there are plenty of careers where having a set of well-honed skills is enough, others require constant learning and development–particularly if those careers involve technology. Online courses are often affordable ways of acquiring new knowledge while working full-time hours (or even part-time). While certification programs can help prove how much knowledge has been gained over time at work and could open up new opportunities for you.
Mental Preparation
Mindset, mindset, mindset! You have to be open to new opportunities and you’ll need to be prepared mentally to take action. If an opportunity arises that seems like an ideal fit for who you’ve become as a person or professional, don’t wait around! Pursue it and don’t let anything get in the way of making this happen if it feels right –you never know when another opportunity just like it will come along again!
You may need to make sacrifices along the way (and maybe even move). Sometimes this means cutting back on spending or making a few shifts in your lifestyle habits.
Take your time, but don’t sit on your hands!!
It’s okay to take time to figure out what you want and what you need, but don’t wait too long!
If there’s anything that life has taught me so far it’s this: if we don’t take action on our goals then they won’t happen! We can talk about them all day long but unless we actually start working towards achieving them then nothing will change or improve in our lives – no matter how much desire or motivation we have behind those dreams and aspirations of ours; until we start acting on them nothing will ever happen!
The most important thing to remember when considering a career pivot is that it’s okay not to know everything. Get clear about what you want, what it looks like and what it will take to get there. Prepare your mind, be open to dance with the possibilities and when when opportunity knocks, be ready to kick down the door. If you want more to help support you as you think through a career pivot, make sure to peek around the Resources Center on my website, as well as this video around recommendations to support your professional growth!
Wishing you continued success and in the meantime,
Onward and Upward,
TS