Changing Careers
Changing careers can be an intimidating process,” I said. “Especially since making a successful career change requires that you violate the career myths you have been taught most of your life.”“Remember when you were a child and people would ask you: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Maybe you answered, ‘I want to be an astronaut,’ or ‘I want to be a rock singer,’ or ‘I want to be a doctor.’ When you were very young, you dreamed big, without the limitations of knowledge and experience.”
“But, by your teenage years, the limits began appearing. The money factor entered the equation. Instead of ‘what do you want to be,’ the question became ‘How are you going to make a living?’ Practicality trumped dreams.”
What Did You Want to Be?
Amy nodded her head. “I wanted badly to be a singer. That was fine when I was little. But once I was in High School, my parents started talking about college and making a living.”
“The aptitude tests I took in high school said I should be a teacher,” Amy continued. I even started college as an elementary education major. But in my sophomore year, I realized I didn’t want to teach. I hadn’t even considered other alternatives before then, so I was really stuck, with no ideas and no plan.”
“I took an assessment test at the career center,” Amy said. “And then I met with a career counselor. I told her my story about deciding not to become a teacher. She looked at my tests and basically said, ‘Your test says you are good with words and people. You should be in public relations.’ I guess that was my first experience with changing careers.”
“Because of her advice, I trotted to get my degree in communications and make my mark in the world of public relations,” Amy said. “I’ve work in the field for more than ten years. I am successful. But even though I am good at it, I know I am not happy. I don’t actively hate what I do. Sometimes I even enjoy it. But I am not happy and I certainly am not fulfilled.”
The Strengths Mistake
“Your story is very typical,” I said. “Even though you are using your strengths, you are not using them to do something you enjoy or something that is meaningful to you. Let me be clear. I am not criticizing the people who tried to help you make a practical career decision. They were helping as best they could given the knowledge they had, the myths they had learned, and the career model that was present at the time.”
“Their practical career decision process was primarily based on two factors: what you could do well, and what would make enough money to support you, and ultimately, a family. These are the two classic career factors.”
You're Not Crazy
“So, is something wrong with me?” Amy asked. If I am successful and good at what I do, should I be happy with that? Am I crazy?”
“You’re not crazy,” I assured her. “Times have changed. And you are not alone. Changing careers is a growing trend in the working world because our definition -- our model -- of career has changed.”
“The new model of a successful career includes more than just strengths – what you are good at – and money. My career change advice is based on that new model.”
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