Who the hack am I? Conquering Career Transitioning!
Why we transition into new careers
Transitioning into a new career is never an easy move. Some transfer due to forced economic factors, changes in status such as military to civilian or because of unhappiness with current employers. Of course, the most common reason for a career transition is to advance your career. Regardless of the motives you may have, at the most basic level, career advancement is driven by your need for self-actualization. Self-actualization, as prescribed in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Theory of Human Motivation is our most powerful source of intrinsic motivation as humans beings. In order to feel truly happy as human beings, we need to feel fulfilled and utilized to our full potential. Without this feeling of fulfillment, we feel unneeded and generally dissatisfied in life. When we are transitioning into new careers, we are attempting to fulfill this human need by searching for a role that better challenges us and aligns us with our goals and desires.
Do not mistake career advancement as the need to “climb the ladder.” Advancement can mean a multitude of things. Advancement in a career can be the action of transitioning into a more meaningful position in the workforce, or into a position that utilizes your skills more effectively, fulfilling your feelings intrinsic needs.
What’s your excuse?
Many employees who desire a career transition, hesitate or halt the idea before they even get started. The issue here lies in many layers of excuses and perceptions. An unhealthy job market is a real problem, but the magnitude of this problem is often overestimated. Many factors drive the heath of an industry, typically, the most common being politics and/or the perception of the industry from the public’s viewpoint. To overcome your reservations about the job market you hope to break into, you must perform research to find out what is causing the negative public perception, then gauge if this perception represents an accurate depiction of the market’s current state. With a closer inspection, you may realize that the job market that you’re looking into has more opportunities than you originally thought.
Another reason employees fear transitioning into new careers is a feeling that their learned skills are inadequate for a new profession. Many employees who remain in one role, in one company or in one industry often overlook the various skills that they’ve acquire over time, as well as how applicable these skills are with other professions.
Finally, one of the most common reasons that career transitions fail to occur is because the employee feels like they are failing their current employer. A respectable employer will not hold you back from your career aspirations. If you find yourself feeling guilty about the idea of a career transition, you can overcome this by discussing your needs for advancement with your current employer. If the outcome does not fall in your favor, then you can either accept the results or begin considering alternative options.
Other reasons why employees fail to make the transition include fear of financial loss or the loss of what is had with their current organization. You have to peel back the excuses and find your root reasons for wanting the transition. Recalling this reason can serve as a great motivator and driving force to push through the excuses and on to your next chapter.
Defeat the challenges, make it happen
As humans, we have a desire to evolve. Whether the progression we desire is in mind, body or spirit, we possess the unwavering need for self-improvement. Career transitioning is the act of evolving one’s career. As stated before, you may believe that skills from one profession cannot transfer to another. STOP, this is false! Many of the skills and experiences that you have developed over time in your current and previous professions are highly marketable. The parallels may not seem obvious at first, but with a closer analysis of your current role, you may uncover a surprisingly long list of transferable skills that make you the perfect candidate for the job you want.
The challenge lies in the delivery of how the learned skills are relative to your next profession. To overcome this, you need to develop a network of people who are employed within the industry and begin conducting small but meaningful meetings with this network. You’ll have to find out what their responsibilities are within their roles and how your skills could apply to their field. Are you having trouble networking or finding someone who works in your desired industry? Volunteer at an event hosted by a company in the profession you desire to transfer to, attend a MeetUp sponsored by a relevant organization or join a chapter meeting relevant to the industry. Doing these things allow you to be in a safe zone while you are in discovery mode.
Possessing the confidence needed to make a career transition is vital during this process. A lack of confidence and doubts of self-worth are common challenges to overcome. To conquer these challenges, you must change your perception of yourself by connecting with others in the industry. This will not only help you build your network, but it will also help quash any doubts you may be having. Your next steps to overcome your lack of confidence and self-doubt is to educate yourself about the industry that you are hoping to transition into. Find online resources such as LinkedIn Learning, edX, Udemy or MeetUps. These types of resources will not only provide you with an opportunity to educate yourself, but they’ll also give you an opportunity to meet others who are interested in your desired field.
Other avenues that you can take during this self-exploration phase include enrolling in bootcamps or attending training workshops that are relative to the new industry. In the end, removing your fear of risk, enhancing your confidence level, changing your perception of yourself, continuing to learn and knowing how to deliver yourself effectively will all help pave the way towards your new career. It may not be an easy or smooth transition, but the result of having a new and exciting career is well-worth the effort.
Tara Holstein is the Campus Director of SecureSet Academy’s Tampa campus. Tara is a senior higher education professional with expertise in academic administration and campus operations. She has been in post-secondary education for the past 13 years. She earned her MBA in 2010, holds a bachelors in Business Management and is currently working towards her doctorate in Organizational Leadership. As much as she enjoys dedicating her time to the adult learners she loves teaching our youth about business through Junior Achievements volunteer work. Outside of her professional life, Tara is a wife and a mother of 4. Her motto is love life…and Oreos.
