Every little bit helps when you're in the process of changing careers or even finding your calling.
Wishful Thinking Will Get You Nowhere
Telling you “One of these days I’ll become a dog whisperer and will finally be able to quit this dreadful job” every time things go south at work, will get you nowhere. You have to turn your frustration into a driving force. And the way you do that is by actually doing something as opposed to just thinking about doing something. Action generates action. Grab a piece of paper and write a list of things that will get you on the path of exploring a new career. Start with something as simple as a to-do list: “Identify dog training, puppy manners, and canine obedience business near my house”, “Find out average income for a dog trainer”, “Obtain information about the time and money that goes into getting a professional dog trainer certification”, etc. Make sure you block time and dates in your calendar in order to carry out these tasks; otherwise you’ll never do it. Do not let your list go empty. Add 1 or more tasks for each task you cross off.
Reinventing Your Work Live Doesn’t Have to be a One-Person Effort
Two heads are better than one. Bring a mentor into the process of changing careers. Ask your spouse to keep a tight leash on you when it comes to reaching your goals. Turn a close friend into a Phys Ed teacher who can blow the whistle whenever you’re slacking on researching the labor market. By building a support network, you’ll be able to get more things done than by being a lone wolf. Besides, getting out of your comfort zone is hard and scary. More times than not you’ll feel tempted to turn your back on your career reinvention efforts and crawl into the comforting warmth of the job you know all too well, even if you despise it. When that happens, having the right team by your side will help you get back on track.
Slow and Steady Won the Race
The process of crafting a new career is more about endurance than speed. Don’t try to get a lot of stuff done too quickly all the time or you just might burn out. Pace yourself. The important thing is to make constant progress. Learn to accomplish small tasks on a daily basis, instead of trying to tackle a bigger and more challenging goal once a week. Each checkmark you place next to an item on your to-do list; will give you a sense of accomplishment, not to mention it’ll make you feel energized.
Go with the Free Resources First
If you’ve identified an area that you think has the potential to become your next career, i.e. video editing, don’t go crazy enrolling in very expensive programs right away. You might have a change of heart later on and the money you spent will go to waste. Start with the free stuff. There are plenty of tips and tutorials on YouTube that won’t cost you a penny. They’ll help you understand if video editing is truly what you’re after. Once convinced you’re on the right track and as you make progress, then is a good idea to pay for courses such as the ones offered by Lynda.com. One of the benefits of doing so is the certificate of completion you get at the end, and that you can easily upload to your LinkedIn account.
Follow Your Heart, not Trends
It doesn’t matter if it seems like every person you know is signing for coding boot camps. It doesn’t matter if your relatives and closest friends are enrolling in day trading courses. It doesn’t matter if your co-workers are spending money like crazy in house-flipping classes. What matters is what your heart tells you. If for the last 2 years you’ve been doing your homework in order to become a gunsmith, don’t drop it just because all of a sudden selling quinoa protein bars is where the money is at. Reinventing yourself is not just about income. It has to do with personal satisfaction and a sense of pride as well. Stay on the path that will take you to a new career and don’t get distracted by trends. ☼
Alex Guerrero is a content creator who lives in Lawrence, KS. He’s very vocal in his displeasure over pineapple pizza. Chocolate, on the other hand, makes everything better!
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