Anyone gone through a career change

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ncgolf

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Due to some company financial issues, I will have to make some career decisions in the next few months … I am thinking of branching out into a totally new career … far from what I do for a living now.

Anyone out there go through a total change in what you did for a living? Could you tell your story and offer what you did right or what you would have changed? What could someone expect with a total career shift.

I am 46 and this seems like a big step … sometimes a little daunting.

Thanks
 
I’d be glad to tell my story. My career change happened 5 years ago. My degree is in accounting so for about 14 years, that’s what I did.

I had been downsized, eliminated, transferred, from every company I worked for. It just seemed that where ever I went, the Accounting Dept was always the first to suffer budget cuts.

It had started dawning on me that maybe accouting was not a good fit for my personality type.

I started praying hard for God to show me what I should be doing, something that was a good fit. Well, shortly after, I went on an interview and the person interviewing me looked at me and said, “you don’t seem like an accountant, but I have an interesting position also open for a consultant”.

So this man hired me on faith - even though I had no knowledge of the industry. I went from Controller in the Advertising industry to Consulting in the field of Natural Gas and Electricity.

And what a fit this is! But God brought this to me. For once I feel like I add value to my clients lives.

God wants us to be happy. Ask Him to direct you toward what He wants you to do. You may be surprised.

What to expect?
  • Lot’s of research time on your part to get up to speed on whatever career you are thinking about.
  • possibly a decrease in salary if you have been somewhere for a while (but not always)
  • big learning curve and be open to seeking help and advice from those who already know the job. Be able to drop any pride.
  • be ready to pitch in at the new postition wherever needed ( I answer phones when needed - though not my job. But it’s fun to help out).
God bless you!
 
Without sounding canned or corny, I decided to forgo HOW I make my money to HOW MUCH. I am less interested in career satisfaction as I am family satisfaction. I’d rather have more money than I need and be able to give to charity and spend time with my family than concern myself how nice my cubicle looks, or how much time I spend there enjoying myself. I enjoy my wife and kids much more than a cube farm.
 
I would recommend that you get some career counseling where they administer personality tests. This can help you determine what type of position best fits your temperment. If it fits your temperment you will then excell in it and thus make more money. Also, a career counselor should be able to tell you what are the highest paid careers for people with your personality, skills, and interests. Consider this the fast track to getting where you really want to go.

Also, if you are college educated you can go to your college placement office and get most of this counseling and testing for free. Also, some college have an arrangement where you can go to a participating college near you if you live far from your college. Also, you can get this locally but you will pay a lot for it. Still it is worth the price.

Good luck.
 
When you make a change that big it affects more people than just you. How does your spouse, family feel about this? How will it impact them? It can generate lots of stress, financial and otherwise, may initially demand an incredible amount of your time, may require a re-location–removing you from your and your family’s existing support system and cause a lot of second-guessing. There can be wonderful changes as well–more time w/ family, better income/opportunity, improved working conditions, career satisfaction, etc… You need to be clear in your goals and open in your communication with everyone affected BEFORE you leap.
 
ncgolf,

I went through a career change when I was in my late thirties. I had been in my prior job for ten years. Over the course of that time, I had helped develop the program and division I worked in. I knew my job inside and out and had a “niche” in the organization.

When I chose another career opportunity I felt like “a fish out of water” for about a year. During the course of the adjustment and transition I told my wife “If I ever decide to change careers again, just take me out in the back yard and shoot me.” I’m one of those people that has no interest in a fast track for change or advancement. Since I’m pretty conservative transitions of this nature are uncomfortable.

So what’s the bottom line? All in all, it was the best thing I ever did career wise and I have absolutely no regrets. The Lord had his hand in this even though I didn’t know it at the time. Just do what you have to do. Take the stress and discomfort and place them at the feet of the Lord and go forward. You will not be disappointed.
 
I’ve gone through many career changes.

When I went to college, and all the way through, I focused my drive on law enforcement…when I started, people who know me laughed at me. By the time I graduated not only were they no longer laughing, but my family was trying to talk me out of it and my brother was finally afraid of ME ! 😛

I was hired immediately out of college at the first place I applied…and it was the one I wanted the most. So I started…and in spite of my very intense preparation and the fact that nothing about it surprised me…I was a fish out of water. It wasn’t for me. It was a miserable time in my life, and although I fought the good fight, I finally left for better pastures.

I worked with the developmentally disabled for a few months (talk about a humbling experience) then found a position in security, where I was in charge of security at a mental health facility for nearly 4 years…all night shift.

I left for the fire department, and that was going well…kicked butt academically, worked very hard physically (I’m a woman) and just 3 weeks short of graduation I tore cartilege in my wrist…and had surgery a few months after that. I was eventually laid off due to complications of that injury and the recovery process. I could do any other work…but not firefighting. Not at that time, anyway.

So I was unemployed for 3 1/2 months.

BIG career switch…I applied anywhere and everywhere, with Worker’s Comp breathign down my neck…that’s a horror story for another thread. I ended up being hired again at the first place I applied…although the process was months’ long.

I started as a Claims adjuster, and exactly 1 year from the date I was fully operational/trained in that position, I was promoted to my goal position…Claims Investigator. I’ve now been in that position for a year…sort of a full circle almost back to law enforcement, but with enough of a vantage point to see the real world this time around.

I won’t stay in that position forever because it’s already burning me out. Even if I move to my next goal there, Special Investigations, I’ll be burned out.

I’m starting to think that life is one big career change. God just leads us step by step, stone by stone, leap by leap. He tells us, “THIS WAY!” or “TAG! YOU’RE IT!” and lets us catch up.

This may be where you’re at…so spend time praying, figure out what you’ve always wanted, put it in God’s hands and let him lead you to the right place.

It’s difficult and frustrating, but it can also be very rewarding.

I can tell you that my present career has bought my first house, and currently I have all the things I needed when I started…a solid and stable home, a new car (mine was falling apart) and 2 dogs.

I’m broke, but hopeful…and best of all…only 3 blocks from my new church and back to the faith~! 😃

Isn’t God GREAT! Trust him.
 
Thanks for all the replies … I am doing quite a few things to help along the career/job change path. The most important thing I have gotten from your responses is to keep Christ at the center. I don’t know where my journey is going to take me but if I keep Christ at the center I know my course will be true.

Thanks
 
My simple advice is to seek to do God’s will. This entails daily prayer and discernment. I have had to learn that God really does desire my happiness and fulfillment, moving from a head knowledge to a faith relationship knowledge. In my late twenties, early thirties career change, I was being “loosened up” by unrest, a sense of dissatisfaction, things just didn’t settle well for me. Once God had my attention, I became more an active seeker and listener for what life work I was to do.

The scriptures of the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), seeking first the kingdom (Luke 12:22-34), bearing fruit (Luke 13:6-9), and a some others were scriptures that God impressed upon me that He wanted me to seriously consider His priorities in the career choice/life work that I pursue. I looked upon and listened to my life experience; talked with others who knew me to inventory my personal attributes, gifts, talents, abilities; went on some informational interviews with professionals in the field on interest; plotted and projected time/resource/costs investment to make the career change. Spent much time in prayer, and tried to surrended my desires, wants, needs in order for God to return then to me in His ordering. Then I made the leap, trusting that if it is God’s will the doors will open …and they have.

I have found it helpful to have gone through such an extensive discerment process because I know why I made this career change, especially when the going gets tough; and frankly the financial rewards of my discerned career choice are not commensurate with so many of my peers who are presented as having more astutely (and responsibly) “followed the money” in their career choices–so I take up my Cross, die to self, seek first the kingdom, as framed by the career choice that God has led me to, and enjoy a real persistent sense of rightness, purpose, and energy that I bring to my work.

My family needs are being met, God has been true to His promises. I remind myself that: to whom much is given, much is expected, and I am responsible when its over to give an accounting to the Lord for how I sought to serve Him.
 
career changes R us, both hub and I have gone thru this several times, by plan or by force of circumstance.

Rule No. 1, order your life to discerning and doing God’s will. All else will fall into place.

rule no 2. your job is not your identity

rule no 3, any decision made on the basis of trying to guess what the future will bring, what effect it will have on spouse, kids or others, is like building a bridge of meringue to cross the mississippi. Good decisions are based on facts, not on guesswork or unfounded assumptions. The facts are only as good as the source, and only valid to the extent that you have ALL the facts.

rule no 4, The contingencies you plan for will likely never arise. What will blindside you is the contingency you never anticipated.

rule no 5. burnout is not about the job or the boss, it is about you and your spiritual life.

prayer to the Holy Spirit of disercernment

O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me. Help me to be submissive to all that You permit to happen to me, and to be obedient in all that You ask of me. I ask only to know Your will, and that You grant me the grace to do it.
 
JCPhoenix,

Our stories are quite similar. I worked my way through college in security, and my first job out of college was as an assistant security director at a mall. I decided that there was very little challenge or opportunity in security, so I became an insurance agent. I was not very good at sales, so I moved into adjusting. I was a claim adjuster for three years, and thought that computer programming might be a good living. I did that for a year before I got laid off.

During the six months of my lay-off, I did a lot of self-analysis, and I decided that I really did like adjusting after all. I’ve been a claims manager for two years now, and I’m pretty happy in this field. I’d be interested in SIU, but my company is too small to have such a department.

I just thought it was interesting how our career paths have paralleled each other.
 
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ncgolf:
Due to some company financial issues, I will have to make some career decisions in the next few months … I am thinking of branching out into a totally new career … far from what I do for a living now.

Anyone out there go through a total change in what you did for a living? Could you tell your story and offer what you did right or what you would have changed? What could someone expect with a total career shift.
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Speaking as a woman and mom here, YEP, I did, about 8 years ago, I quit being a “career woman”, earning more money than my husband, feeling it was my job to pay the bills too, hindering hubby from getting his career together, and I quit while at lunch one day, called hubby to come pick me up, told him that was that, I can’t leave my kids any longer and let anybody else be with them all day. It was time for him to worry about our financial realm, I felt God was calling me to a vocation as a mom, 8 years too late unfortunately. He was shocked of course but just said "O.K.-- if that’s what you want. Whewwww why did I take on all that responsibility on my shoulders for soooo long??? I guess it was just expected of me. Things were very very tough for a long while, still are at times even, (hubby is in new career too–and had to work 2 jobs for 4 months to get started)–but finally, he did get his career together, and our family has only gained from this decision. I learned alot from it though. I would NEVER work again once the babies came along. I wouldn’t leave them with ANYONE, relative or not. They are my babies to raise, not parents’ or relatives’ responsibility, or a day care provider or even a church’s responsibility. God expects ME to raise them, and be home with them. I would let my husband figure out how to support us. Even if we all had to live in a one bedroom apt. for a time, I would have done it.

It would be and is alot harder for a man to do. My advice to you, if you want to do it, if you feel God is calling you to a new career, go for it. We only live once!!! Just don’t expect wife to pick up the slack, financially that is. But to support you in every other way, of course!!! Sorry to say, earning the living is a man’s job. Get 2 jobs if you have to, or a job day, school at nite, whatever it takes, but always know YOU CAN DO IT!!! And trust God. It’s very sad how many people are stuck doing a job they hate–when there’s a whole world of opportunity out there!!!
 
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