Despite widespread reports that the average Australian will have multiple career changes in their life, changing careers can be a challenging, uphill journey where it feels like no-one is willing to give you a go.
While navigating this major life change some people seem to hit a brick wall and stay where they are, others seem to make the switch almost effortlessly. People who successfully change careers have to make sacrifices to realise their career desire.
Here are five things many people give up to successfully change careers:
1. Their Ego
Successfully changing careers requires humility and passion and there is no place for ego. People who successfully make the change realise this and leave their ego at the door in search of the opportunity to start building their new career. They realise that while some of their past performance may cross transfer to their new career, a lot will not and they are, in essence starting over again.
2. Expertise
It is a nice feeling to know you’re really good at something. But a career change often means giving up what you’re really good at to do something new you want to do. People who successfully manage this change realise that giving up their expertise in one field will lead to them developing their expertise in their new field and that this short term sacrifice will give them a longer term gain.
3. Status
One of the nice things about being part way through your career is reaching a point where you’re good at what you do, maybe even great and that affords you a level of status in the company. It may not be a fancy title but you’ve proven yourself. People who successfully change careers recognise that they must give up this status and let go of what they were to embrace the place they are at in their new career.
4. Time
Regardless of the new field, retraining will be needed. This means making time to do further studies or courses. People who successfully navigate career changes give up this time to invest in building the foundation for their future career. While it may not be a huge burden it means there is not as much time to do other things.
5. Money
Changing careers usually means a pay cut. How much depends on how many cross transferable skills there are but it’s often one of the biggest roadblocks to successfully changing careers. Those who successfully change careers understand that they will need to give up money and the luxuries it may provide to build their new career. That doesn’t mean they give it up forever but it may take some time to reach the same earning potential again in their new career.
People who successfully change careers understand that they need to give up certain things to create time, space and opportunity to pursue their career passion. The reality is, many people are not in a position to give up what is needed to change careers. However, careful planning can build a road map to be able to make the changes in the future. Successful career changes focus their energy on what they need to do to make the change – not complaining about how hard it is.
