Thinking of switching up your career?

The main obstacle stopping you from changing jobs is the fear of quitting. There’s a stigma that quitting makes you weak. I was listening to Steven Bartlett on a podcast recently, when his stance on quitting really stuck with me. His view was:

"When you think about it, the incredibly important, unappreciated thing that you do before you start anything (usually) is that you quit something else. Quitting is the thing that predicates starting. Quitting is for winners.”

And he’s right. Why stay in a job that restricts you, when you can flourish elsewhere?

Throughout lockdown we all had time to think, resulting in 1 in 4 workers looking for new opportunities with a different employer after restrictions lifted.

Why?

We had time to review what was working and what wasn’t. Our values changed. When we were in our fast paced, covid free life, we overlooked things such as company benefits. We were then gifted the ultimate level of flexibility, and we wanted that balance in our work life too. Company culture’s value sky rocketed. Our priorities shifted, we valued a work-life balance more than ever before. Working from home revolutionised how we wanted to work. “The new normal” was a phrase thrown around many times, but we didn’t realise how much it would trickle down into the working world.

How to make the jump: First of all, career switches can come in many forms. They can be external or a simple side step that can open doors you’d never think of.

However, before you do anything, set some time aside to think things through properly. We spend the majority of our life at work, so make this switch positive. You’re more likely to be content in your move if you’ve got a well researched, balanced reasoning for moving.

1. Make a list of your skills. Make a list of your hobbies. Are there any similarities? Do any of them overlap? Are you in this industry already, or is this a whole new experience for you? It can be within the same industry or a completely new start.
2. Have a look around at what’s out there. Additionally, don’t underestimate talking to friends and family to get their opinion. They might come out with a new option, or come at it with a different point of view which could then spark another idea. These are the people that know you best.
3. Before you start applying and putting yourself out there, have a look at your CV. Are there any gaps? There are many free short courses out there, from LinkedIn to Google Digital Garage. Similarly, workshops are a great way to refine or learn new skills. For example, General Assembly recently ran #workshopwednesdays, where they held free, online workshops for people wanting to get into tech after a career change. Having these listed on your CV shows that you’re committed to the change, and is a great talking point in an interview.