Changing careers with a business plan
With people living longer and working longer, sticking to the same career until retirement has become increasingly uncommon.
Melissa Jenner founder of START, a programme that helps people transition into a new career, said just like businesses, people needed to make a plan before they changed their careers.
‘‘It’s about consciously designing what you want, rather than risking it and chancing it with luck,’’ Jenner said.
START uses design-thinking, a method that involves strategic problem solving and workshops, encouraging people to fulfil their passions and use their strengths to
It's about consciously designing what you want rather than risking it and chancing it with luck Melissa Jenner
move into a new career. Jenner founded START after leaving a 25-year-long corporate career which had left her feeling ‘‘fundamentally unhappy’’.
‘‘It’s not about doing one thing all your life, it’s about having personal self expression through your work,’’ she said.
According to Jenner, the best time to consider new career options is when people are still in their jobs.
‘‘People want job security, but job security isn’t necessarily going to be there anymore. With all the disruption going on, you can’t afford to sit back and wait, you have to be proactive.’’
Although START was created to help those over 40, it has quickly gained traction among millennials. Jenner said millennial workers were getting quite disillusioned with corporate life.
Also disrupting the workforce was the rise of gig workers and intrapreneurship, where employees negotiate time to work on relevant, personal projects.
But Jenner said New Zealand had been slow to adapt to these changes, and a transformation needed to happen within leadership to retain employees.