According to research by Totaljobs, two thirds of people have been considering a career change during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is no surprise. With home-working and no commuting becoming the norm, many have realised that work can be pretty flexible (whatever their company might have said previously!)
Taking that a step further, a lot of people have seized the opportunity to learn new skills and prepare themselves for a new career, realising that what they were doing wasn’t in tune with who they were.
It’s a precarious time, and however much we refer to the next stage as the ‘new normal’, there’s nothing normal about it. There will continue to be uncertainty for a while yet, so it’s worth proceeding with what I like to call enthusiastic caution.
For those who are deciding to really shake things up and make a total change – set up a business, or re-train later in life – change is absolutely feasible.
What’s important is to identify your values and be sure that the next step of your journey will give you the fulfilment you’re looking for. Investigate your strengths and how they can be put to best use in your new career.
If you’ve still got a job, it’s a good idea to overlap with what you’re currently doing – now probably isn’t the best time to jump straight out of the frying pan – and do some research into who you are, and where you want to be.
It’s possible to make a change at any stage of life, but you need a plan in place to support you in reaching your goals.
I’ve developed a worksheet here for anyone considering making a change, to help you assess where you are now, and hopefully give some clues as to where to go next.
And all the best for whatever you decide to do!
Cathy Brown - Coach 