English
The decision to change your professional career in many cases is the right way forward for you.
After all, modern career trends are showing a shift away from "a traditional career for life" to "constantly trying your hand at something new." Unfortunately, having made a firm and balanced decision to change your career, while adding up all of the pros and cons that change will entail, an individual faces unexpected obstacles that may prevent them from achieving success in a new career.
Consequently, we've collected ten of the most common obstacles that stand in the way of a second (or third) career, and we'll tell you how to get around each of them and not be disappointed in a new profession.
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- You don't have the necessary skills
Probably, when you first think about a new career, you'll come face to face with the sad realisation: you don't have all the skills to advance in your chosen field of activity to be successful. The good news is this is normal. No one is born in this world, knowing everything about anything. Just consciously focus on what you feel you lack right now. Learn new things, think about how you can apply what you already know for the good of a company, in a new position, where you can prove that you're genuinely interested in learning.
- You're unsure of your goals
When you change your field of activity, you quickly forget your old goals, but you don't have time to set new ones. In this case, don't worry; it's probably just your imagination playing up. It's highly likely that you know what you want to achieve and the position you're aiming for. Yes, you might not be able to set a clear goal yet, but it's only a matter of time.
Try to analyse your feelings. Maybe you're not signalling your career goals because you're afraid that you'll not succeed in a new direction? In this instance, your problem is fear, not a lack of goals for your future, and that's what you need to deal with.
Are you still sure you don't know what you want? It's not that bad: use this stage of your life as an opportunity to re-evaluate, review everything you've done and want to do, try something new, unusual and exciting. Don't try to grasp in advance whether you will like it and whether this "something" is useful to you or not: just act!
- You don't have enough information
Most likely, you don't know everything about your new field of activity. You may not be familiar with a whole range of occupations within this new niche, or you may not be aware of the areas that didn't exist just a couple of years ago. To make informed decisions, you must have all the available information, so don't be too lazy to read industry-specific articles in business publications, or to make useful contacts with industry experts at various business events.
- You're having financial difficulties
Before you write your letter of resignation from a dull position, make sure that you have enough savings for six months for your regular life without losing your standard of living. As a rule, most employees don't have an adequate "financial cushion," so a drastic change in activity could lead to severe stress. This state is not the best way forward to making a career change.
What do you do? Before you take and break old ties, start squirrelling away money in any way convenient for you. Have you quit your permanent job yet? Find a few extra jobs, don't expect your dream job to fall into your lap when you scroll through posts on Facebook. In the real world, this does happen, but only very rarely. The best way to ensure a financially painless transition from one job to another is to start studying or working part-time in a new field, without leaving your old position.
- You're afraid of failure or rejection
Be prepared for failure, you will face it anyway, just because it doesn't happen otherwise. Think of any failure as an opportunity to draw some conclusions, analyse mistakes, and get it right the next time. Please try not to transfer negative memories associated with your old job to a new field of activity. Your desire to radically change your job may be due to a long-standing dispute that's been brewing for a long time. If this is the case, first deal with moral debts and old grievances at the same job and only then (if the desire persists) look for something new.
- You've no good role models around you
If you have a role model (that is, a person who's successful in their profession and who you try to emulate), as well as people who support you, you are fortunate. Sometimes it happens that neither a role model nor a mentor, or the encouragement of friends and relatives is not there for you. Well, then, remember networking - perhaps talking with experts from the area you're interested in will help you find a future coach. Themed interest groups, events, and conferences can be found, for example, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
- You strive to control absolutely everything
The desire for excessive control leads to stress, excessive emotions, anxiety, and fear. Don't be a control freak, and instead try to accept that you can't control everything that happens in your life. You can't plan your career in every detail, no matter how much you want to. You can and must focus on the present moment. Think about what you need to do to jump to the next "level." Don't leave this situation to change, and don't panic if something doesn't work out the way you want at this point.
- You're full of prejudices
The past doesn't define your future as much as you may think. The fact that all of your managers treated you with prejudice doesn't mean that this situation will necessarily repeat itself when you're in a new position: you could always achieve a different result. Have you had any experience working with an unfair boss? Now you know precisely how to identify a negligent manager even at the interview stage. Do you think that your salary doesn't correspond to your duties? Use this knowledge as a motivation to move to a position that offers better pay. Learn from the mistakes of the past, but don't carry them into your future.
- You are overly open to everything
You don't have to be a "more open person", you don't have to attend every significant event in a row and communicate with every participant - yes, even with every colleague! You don't need to collect the business cards of all the lawyers or developers present at the conference: you need to get the most out of talking to just one to two people.
Don't try and adapt to other people by showing yourself to be a person who's open to every new possibility if you aren't. Feel the difference between a sincere desire to grow and develop as a person and the misapprehension that those around you are better than you because if you do you'll inevitably participate in a ghost of competition past with them. Instead, stand in your power and stay honest with yourself, and don't make keeping up appearances just to please others a priority if that's not your authentic self.
- You don't think about yourself
Ask yourself: why do you want to change your job? What do you like? What would you love to achieve in the future? It's unnecessary to change the world around you to feel calm and confident. It's enough just to bring harmony to your own life. Remember that there's no insignificant or incorrect goal, and all your aspirations are normal and acceptable, even if they don't last beyond one week.
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Approach the change of your professional activity as responsibly as possible, but don't forget to visualise your final goals over a short period. Make sure to prepare a "financial cushion" because this nest egg may become invaluable. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, learn from them and, of course, don't forget that if we're talking about an entirely new unfamiliar area, you'll have to spend time retraining. Be prepared to find that not everything won't work out the very first time, but if you're consistent and persistent, you will achieve your desired results. And remember, you cannot discover new oceans unless you dare to lose sight of the shore…
