What I’ve learned from making two career changes
Often when we’re feeling stuck in our careers, it’s not about money worries or the need to reskill (even though we think it is!). In many cases, there’s a missing piece we need to uncover. By Jacqui Ooi.
The first time I made a career change, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I’d spent my 20s working in the heady world of women’s magazines – considered by many to be a dream career – but I had a different dream of working in the humanitarian field.
It wasn’t an obvious career shift to everyone around me, but to me, it made sense. I wanted to help people, I’d always had an interest in social and global issues, and I could use my decade of experience as a journalist to sidestep into a media or communications role.
That’s what I ended up doing in my early 30s when I landed a role at a global children’s charity. It wasn’t a quick or easy transition, and there were a couple of false starts. But the fact I knew what I wanted to do and had a clear end-goal in mind was the motivation I needed to continue forward.
My second (messier!) career change
The second time I made a career change couldn’t have been more different. After a decade in the charity sector, I once again started to feel that niggle of needing a change, which eventually grew to a roar. I didn’t hate my job but I realise now it wasn’t a good fit for me – and the longer I stayed, the worse I started to feel.
By the time I quit, I was in full-blown burnout. But I didn’t know what else I could do. Although I was quite firm on what I didn’t want to be doing anymore, this time I didn’t have a long-held dream propelling me forward.
I just knew I wanted better balance in my life and I wanted to try some new things. But I had no clear vision or goal about what my next chapter could be.
It turns out this is a common experience for aspiring career changers and why many people get stuck – often it’s not because of financial reasons or the need to reskill, but because they don’t know what it is they want to do.
Getting unstuck
In my case, I spent the next couple of years trying to figure it out on my own. I spent hours researching possibilities and spent way too much time in my own head.
It wasn’t until I began volunteering with a women-focused organisation and started a podcast (random, perhaps, but it was something that kept niggling at me to try) that the clarity started to come. I didn’t know it at the time but following those interests was the first step to uncovering a whole new career.
I never would have thought that helping women navigate their own career change journeys would be the creative and purposeful path I was looking for – but that’s what happens when you really get to know yourself and take action to find that sweet spot. The problem is, most of us haven’t been taught these essential career-building skills and finding the right support, particularly as an adult, can be challenging.
“I didn’t know it at the time but following those interests was the first step to uncovering a whole new career.”
A clear vision and purpose
Since I found that new direction, there has been a lot of hard work to build this into a new career – from understanding how best to support women, to going back to study career development (after swearing I’d never study again!), to working with women in career change workshops and mentoring sessions, then pouring all of that learning and experience into building our career change course.
It's been a journey to say the least but I LOVE what I do for work now and even on the hard days, my sense of purpose and clear vision of what I’m aiming to achieve continues to propel me forward.
So if you’re feeling stuck right now, which I know is a horrible place to be, know that there is support and there is a way out. It does require a process of really getting to know yourself and taking the right steps to uncover the path you’re looking for.
My best tip? Don’t get stuck as I did, trying to figure it out on your own and believing you can think your way to a new career. You gain clarity and confidence by doing.
Jacqui Ooi is the founder of What She Did Next and creator of the Career Change Kickstarter course, teaching proven strategies to help women navigate change and build careers they love.
