Perhaps you’re furloughed and it looks like your job isn’t coming back when the economy starts back up.
It’s time to do something different.
These are topics many, if not most, people are considering in these challenging times.
What can you do before deciding to make a jump at a new career?
We spoke with Natalie Bybee a career and leadership coach about switching careers and starting over.
“It’s really the mindset, it’s really taking care of themselves, making sure how they’re thinking about this. This is a marathon, not a sprint,”Bybee says. “It’s important they understand there’s going to be a lot of noes, but that’s part of it. And it's not anything that’s against them.”
Bybee stresses self-evaluation, knowing intimately your wants and needs from a new career. And especially your strengths.
“It’s hard to say if they need to start exploring new careers or maybe exploring more of their strengths and talents and see how they can be applied in different industries. But for now, it depends on what’s in their background and what’s going to keep them fulfilled and motivated for the long term.”
Many feel they need to go back to school, but Bybee says before you commit to a long term schooling:
“The biggest issue is really building up self-awareness. A lot of times people approach it with trying to solve the problem first without really doing the research,” Bybee cautions. “Clearly what their strengths are, being able to articulate that. Figuring out how that strength has been used in a particular way. How can it now be applied in a different way.”
Bybee says some companies are refocusing themselves and jumping to a new career may just mean changing your position with your employer.