If there’s one thing that mums are famous for it is putting everybody else’s needs before their own. I often have conversations with mums about their career plans and the common thing I hear is that they will get around to their career change or return to work when the timing is right. Maybe when the kids have started school or when the renovation is finished? Or perhaps when the mortgage has been paid down a bit more? Now, I totally get this and only recently I almost pulled out of the recruitment process for my dream careers job for the same reason. The job would have entailed working four days a week and when I weighed it all up, I reasoned that it just wasn’t the right time for me. I’ve just started a business, I’m studying and I have one kid who’s just started school, and another in preschool. A four-day week job would be just the thing to tip me over the edge. However, I did go to the interview, performed well and have positioned myself for future opportunities when the timing is right.
However, in response to the question “when is the best time to get started on your career change?” I always answer with one word “now.” We’ve all heard that old Chinese proverb
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is now”
It’s one of my favourites and applicable to so many areas of life, particularly the area of career change.
I think we all assume that career change is this massive undertaking that is going to consume so much time and effort, and it often is. Which is all the more reason for us to get started on it right away, even if it’s only small incremental steps. Nobody is asking you to quit your job right away or sign up for that course or book the kids into before and after school care next week. But you could begin exploring your options. Here are a few small things you could try doing to get started on your career change in the next week:
- Contact that friend who works in an industry you’re interested in, meet them for a coffee and ask them a few questions about their job
- Read an inspirational autobiography
- Make a list of jobs you’ve liked and disliked and see if you can find any themes
- Make a list of things you enjoy doing and are interested in … can you explore any of them further as possible career options?
- Sign up for an evening class in that thing you’ve been meaning to do for a long time
- Book in with me for a Career Change Consultation to discuss the small things you could be doing to get your career change underway.
The good thing about these actions is that they seem small and non-committal but I guarantee you that if you do just one of these it will spark something and you will want to take more action. Before you know it, you will be on your way. Maybe you won’t have a structured plan and maybe you won’t know where it is all going to lead to but you will be doing something to get yourself into a better place.
For a lot of career changers the problem is knowing where to start so I have created this FREE worksheet to get you into action. This contains some really simple steps that you can get started with right away to begin making your career change a priority in the now, not for some distant day in the future. Click here to download your worksheet.
I also offer personalised coaching for those who are really looking to get stuck into their career change and make it happen sooner rather than later. Click here to book in for a complimentary discovery session and find out whether coaching is right for you.
Remember, start now, the time is going to pass anyway.