Starting Your Career Over – What Career Path Should I Take?
First, slow down! Stop. Don’t do anything. Nothing. This is probably counter-intuitive to everything that your body, mind, soul, bank account and the internet is telling you. I know you NEED to figure this out. Money, family, purpose, respect is all itching away at you. It’s become a thorn in your side and now is the time to pull it out. But first, attempt to dissociate yourself from the noise, the chatter, of work and life that has mixed together in a convoluted but slow and controlled pattern like vines inching their way up a trellis.
At the same time, I know how hard it can be to disassemble years of “organized chaos” and try to take those pieces and fit them into a new pattern that will somehow make you happy or show you the way to meaning and prosperity.
However, take a moment and reflect and do nothing. Yes, nothing. As we’ve discussed before, pull away from the computer. Resist the urge to text, type, or click. Think. Be in yourself for a few minutes out of the day. Go for a walk, sit on your couch, or lay in bed. I know it can sound “out there” and we at Ideal Career Coach are all about actionable steps to job satisfaction.
We want to bring the anxiety down to a minimum first so we can make level headed and clear decisions moving forward. Come back to this article once you are in a better place and your mind is not swirling around. If not, it will pass – you know it will.
Now that we are in a better spot to make decisions, let’s address the question: should I start over and what career path should I take?
Should You Start Over?
I believe if you are not happy with what your life’s work and it is causing you significant stress, then yes you should (and can!) start a new career. You owe it to yourself. Let’s leave it at that – you’ve come to the conclusion that you want to move on.
However, let’s begin the journey by answering a few questions. Then we’ll get on to the process and actionable steps you can immediately take.
Why Start Over?
Every person is different. Maybe your industry is dying out. Maybe you want a new challenge. Maybe your field is not paying enough. Or that you just like to learn. Or maybe you don’t even need a reason – even better! The key to starting over effectively is to not beat yourself up over it.
While the data is a little fuzzy on what the Bureau of Labor and Statistics defines a “career change” or “job held”, individuals born in the latter years of the baby boom (1957-64) held an average of 12 jobs between the ages 18-52! And that is from a longitudinal survey that began in 1979 (data published in 2019) – think about where we stand with today’s constantly changing work environment.
So next time you ask yourself “what career path should I take?“, and you think it’s just you that is going through this, statistically, it’s not. Also, if you want to start over, get some new experience or change it up. I’m a fan of doing it. That’s how I came to be doing what I love now – coaching and helping people with their careers.
The Cost of Starting Over – Does it make sense financially?
While skimming blogs and talking with my clients, this question typically takes people off-guard. It seems that most people are so focused on getting to meaning, passion – the “thing” that they should be doing in their next station in life that this is often a second thought. And that’s a good thing, to some degree.
If you have gone through life in one skill or industry then you have what I call “Domain Knowledge”. This is the stuff that companies are generally hiring you for as a partnership in their company. They might call it “Years of Experience”.
When you shift or change a career – even if you are more than competent at what you are now doing, you generally will lack Domain Knowledge in the eyes of the employer, thus will not be able to command a premium.
In this regard, I ask you – are you in a position to take a hit financially? What is your tolerance, 10%, 20%….50%? This is not a hard-fast rule, as many people have transitioned to something brand new without taking a pay cut – in fact, some are even paid more – if executed correctly with the help of a coach, mentor, or teacher skilled in the arts of architecting this type of move.
Many people want change. They want to do something different and the job they have is grinding them down. But please first, consider what THE COST might be for such desire.
Talk it over, run the numbers, and do the infamous “gut check” about how you feel about the money issue. You can even use the Ben Franklin Close as a visual guide to help you make the decision.
In Part 2, we’ll get down to the mechanics of investigating what career path you should take with a plan to execute the transition!
