Craig wants to change career before his redundancy payout runs out, but the clock is ticking fast. How can he figure out what he wants to do – and get on track to making it a reality – without the luxury of time?
What's your career history and current job?
I've been a chartered quantity surveyor for six years, and was recently made redundant.
How do you feel about your work?
I haven't enjoyed it for a long time.
The redundancy took me by surprise and initially I was quite angry about it, but over the past month or so I've come to see that it was actually a blessing in disguise. It's woken me up to the fact that I need to do something more meaningful with my time.
I enjoyed the training I underwent for my work, the salary was comfortable, and I count some of my former colleagues as friends for life. But now it's time for something a little more heartfelt.
What would you like to be doing instead?
Honestly, I’m really not sure.
I know that I want a career that affects people's lives in a positive way, but that's fairly vague, isn't it? I'd like to help people to do beneficial things for society. I'd like to use my experience and professional networks for good, and I'd like flexibility in my work, so my partner and I can think about starting a family at some point…
That's as far as I've got. (Secretly I'd love to be an Elvis impersonator but I'm pretty sure my girlfriend would leave me, so I'd better stick to the more conservative option!)
What's the biggest obstacle in your way?
At the moment, it's time.
Financially, the redundancy couldn't have come at a worse time for me, as I've recently raided my savings to support a family member.
I need to start working again within about three months, and I've decided I'm not willing to go back into my old line of work. Once I've made a choice like that, I'm not the kind of person to hang about, so I want to throw myself into changing career fast.
All the advice I've read seems to involve spending a lot of time on introspection and experimentation, but I don't have that luxury. I know I want to change career, and I want to do it quickly. I’m just not sure how!
- Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now?
- What can he do to get laser-focused and speed up the career-change process?
- Do you know anyone he could talk to?
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