Feeling the fear over a change of career
We may be in the midst of a ‘Great Resignation’ but shifting up your career can be stressful. ABI JACKSON seeks some advice
Perhaps you’ve seen the headlines and noticed it amongst your friends and colleagues – people are quitting their jobs.
While the early pandemic saw devastating losses and contracts cut short, now we’re witnessing what’s been dubbed ‘The Great Resignation’.
It’s a trend with many layers, from workers being fed up with unfair conditions and low pay, to those seeking a healthier work-life balance, or realising life is short and it’s time for something new.
If you’ve been thinking about switching things up – whether retraining, setting up as freelance, launching a business or sidestepping into a new field – but the whole thing leaves you lost, you are not alone. And good news: those feelings are very normal.
THIS IS BIG STUFF
“When thinking about a career change, there are very real practical considerations to take into account, alongside navigating the emotions involved in change,” says life coach Laura Bentley, who works with women wanting to change their lives and careers (thatbalanced lifecoaching.com).
“This can lead to feelings of fear, doubt and uncertainty, all of which can make career change a stressful prospect – and if you are feeling this way, it helps to first acknowledge those feelings.”
It’s easy to view things like fear and uncertainty as ‘negatives’, but they’re just part of being human.
Writer, podcaster and career coach Jenny Stallard, founder of Freelance Feels, a wellbeing platform for the selfemployed (freelancefeels. com), agrees acknowledging these “unavoidable things” can be helpful.
“If you spend your energy trying to fight those things, it can be a waste of time. It’s almost better to say, ‘Well, these things are going to happen’.
“You are going to worry about money, it is going to feel scary, you are going to worry that it’s all going to fail. We can’t just banish these thoughts. It’s so easy to think you need to spend all your time trying to get over imposter syndrome – but no, it’s always going to exist!”
HONOUR EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS
“Making the leap is one of the steps, and possibly the biggest and most exciting one,” says Jenny. “But you’re then starting to walk a different path – you’re not just leaping and landing and that’s that. You’re leaping to another step.”
The steps that come before the ‘leap’ are important too, and doing things quickly may not be wise for everyone, especially if you have big financial considerations and aren’t in a position – or don’t want to – compromise your stability.
“Instead of beating yourself up for these things, consider how they may actually be useful to you,” says Laura. “[These feelings] are there to protect you from the unknown waters ahead. This big decision doesn’t have to be a giant, scary leap and you absolutely can go at your own pace.”
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
“You don’t have to resign just because everyone else seems to be, and it might be that it’s just not time yet,” says Jenny. Remember, as with all things in life, chances are you won’t be riding a single track towards one clear end goal.
One day you might be buzzing with productivity and excitement. The next you might be doubting everything and wondering where your confidence disappeared to. One doesn’t cancel the other out, they’re all just part of the frame – and will be once you’ve taken the leap, too.