Making a successful career change is not easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. It is a process that requires a great deal of research, many conversations, and in my experience, the confidence to get out into the real world to really test your ideas to see if they will work. Over the past five years coaching a whole range of people from those in their mid-20s to others in their early 60s, I see the same obstacles coming up time and time again that are preventing people from taking the action they need to make it happen.
So, in my opinion, here are the five main obstacles to a successful career change. They are the same obstacles that I faced when I made my career change many years ago and I am sharing them with you because if you can identify them, then you may find it easier to overcome them.
The first obstacle is fear
The majority of people who book a career consultation with Relaunch Me are fiercely determined to make a career change. They are often very dissatisfied and disengaged with their current work and are looking for career options that are more compatible with their personality and/or more aligned with their interests or values. They are often stressed, and anxious but truly motivated to make a change. Often they have been thinking about making a career change for months, even years, but something has prevented them from actually making it happen.
In my experience, the big blocker is fear. Fear of making the wrong decision, fear of what others will think, and fear of giving up everything you have ever worked for. I know when I left my career as a chartered accountant these were all the things that were holding me back from making this change. After studying for a Bachelor of Commerce followed by two years working to achieve my Professional Year (Chartered Accounting exams) as well as years of experience at a Big 4 firm, I felt that I was disappointing my parents and the managers that had put time and effort into developing me. I was also worried about what my colleagues would say. I also felt as if I was stepping into the unknown, accepting a position with a relatively new recruitment agency, and moving into an industry that at the time didn’t really require any tertiary qualifications.
This applies to many of my clients. A career change would potentially mean walking away from years of knowledge and skills gained in one line of work to start all over again. No wonder the fear levels are high. What if you make the wrong decision? What if it doesn’t work out? By making such a big change we are putting at risk things that are very high on the level of importance – income, food, freedom, mortgage repayments, private education fees, or our rent. No wonder there is fear.
The second obstacle is a lack of knowledge
The second biggest obstacle that I see is a lack of knowledge about alternate careers. Often clients have spent their entire career in one area of work and are feeling very confused about choosing a new career path. The main reason is a lack of knowledge. How on earth can you make a decision about choosing a new career path if you haven’t done the research to obtain the knowledge to make an informed decision? Knowledge will reduce the risk of making the wrong decision.
The third obstacle is a lack of support
A career change can be a long and frustrating journey. It requires motivation and confidence to step outside your comfort zone to make new connections to obtain the knowledge required to make informed decisions. Therefore, a support team is going to help you keep your motivation up when it all seems too hard. So, if you are wanting to make a change, find a team of cheerleaders who can support you and keep you focused on the end goal.
The fourth obstacle is false assumptions
Many people that I meet with have already made assumptions about what is or isn’t possible with their intended career change. Every day I hear ‘ it’s too competitive’, ‘I will have to drop my salary’, ‘I won’t be able to work part-time’ etc, etc. I know that false assumptions were certainly preventing me from looking into becoming a Career Coach for way too long.
I had been interested in being a Career Coach for several years but I had an assumption that I would have to work in a 9-5 pm job. I also had an assumption that I would have to go back to working in the city in a corporate environment which didn’t appeal to me. They were both assumptions that turned out not to be true. But they stopped me from moving earlier as they were things that I believed about what was or wasn’t possible.
So if you find yourself doing the same – too old to make a change, skills aren’t transferable, the industry is too competitive. All of those things may be just assumptions that are holding you back and they may not actually hold true.
The fifth obstacle is relying on Google, job search sites & recruiters
A successful career change rarely happens if you rely on Google for information. There is only so much information we can gather about a new job or new industry. We can get a good understanding of the responsibilities of the role but Google cannot tell us whether the work will actually energize us or whether we will be good at it.
Likewise, relying on job search sites rarely works for a career changer. If you are applying for roles against other candidates already working in that line of work, then it is unlikely that recruiters will be putting you in the ‘yes’ pile, unless you have already built a connection with them. You still need a compelling resume BUT ideally, you want recruiters / potential employers to meet you or at least speak with you BEFORE they see your resume. This is why networking and connecting with people in your areas of interest are so important rather than just applying for jobs.
So, ask yourself if these obstacles are holding you back from finding more rewarding work. If this is you, then you are probably feeling tired and exhausted from hours of searching on job search sites, discussing with your partner/friends, and writing countless lists of pros and cons. You are probably also feeling really despondent that you don’t get responses from recruiters or they just want to place you back in your current industry. That was certainly the case for me.
If this sounds familiar, contact Leah or Clare at Relaunch Me at enquiries@relaunchme.com.au to learn how we can help you find a different approach to making your career change.