The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us to re-evaluate our careers and how we really want to spend our time. Layoffs and furloughs have left many employees reeling, especially those whose sense of identity and purpose was wrapped up in their professional identity.
For those who still have jobs, the pandemic has changed working hours and forced people to work from home instead of the office. The way we used to work and live is no longer taken for granted. Families have had to adjust to working from home while simultaneously helping children with online or hybrid schooling. Employees during the pandemic lockdown cannot enjoy the in person small talk at the workplace that used to help cement relationships and offer a feeling of job security.
Companies are forced to re-assess the value of insisting on the century old tradition of a 5 day, 40-hour work week. Studies show that productivity is not necessarily linked to working long hours. A shorter work week is found to be more productive. Despite this, The Economist reports that people are working longer on average during the pandemic lockdown than they did before and that “daily commutes have been replaced with endless emails and video-meetings.” These endless emails and video meetings, forcing us to be always “on”, make it difficult for us to achieve the results that will give us the comfort of feeling that we are demonstrating value. The result is stress and long hours.
The pandemic has caused many of us to rethink everything – where and how we work, what we do for a living, how our elders are cared for, and how our children are educated. We realize that life can be short, does not offer guarantees, and that we don’t want to waste time making the best of it, including the pursuit of finding careers we are passionate about.
Some of the questions we may ask are: Am I using my time on this earth in the best way possible? Where does my value lie? Would I even have the luxury of switching careers if I wanted to? Do the costs of downtime, training, and job search make a job change a privilege I can even afford to consider? Some professionals such as chefs, waiters, or those in the retail industry may not have an option but to be forced to switch careers, at least for now, until the pandemic subsides.
Although it may seem daunting, changing careers is common. To make it more likely that your next job fits you better, find and follow your passion by removing obstacles that get in the way of it and following a plan of action, big or small.
Remove Obstacles to Finding Your Passion
It is human nature for us to get in our own way of realizing what we really want to do for a living. The busyness of the day (chores, housework, errands, responsibility for family members, making dinner, work, etc.) can get in the way of even taking the time to consider the idea.
When we do get the chance to think about our career choice, there are other obstacles that block our acknowledgment of what we really want to become. Predominate among these is having to work a current job out of financial necessity and for some, dealing with the low pay of our true interests, at least when first pursued. The availability of opportunities in our true field of interest is also a consideration, especially when entering competitive fields or shrinking industries.
Other obstacles include the ease of just falling back onto whatever skills we already have without developing new ones, focusing on what others would think, or resigning ourselves to considering it frivolous or a luxury to feel worthy enough to follow our dreams.
Think with an open mind about how any of these things affect you and what you value most in a career, whether it be money, job security, or finally following a childhood dream. Take the time and space to pay attention and allow yourself to openly want and pursue the career that is right for you. You may find that what you really want to become was there all the time but you just have to get out of your own way and go for it. Or you may come full circle and find that it is actually what you’ve been doing all along. Here are a several questions, including some from themuse.com, to get you started.
- What would people say about you in jobs you’ve held? We all have blind spots. Sometimes others can recognize what we can’t.
- What skills come to you naturally? Follow the bread crumbs. Pay attention to what you are successful at doing. Consider failure as insight into what has worked and not worked. Sometimes things are worth fighting for and it’s just a matter of perseverance and improving existing skill sets and qualifications. But other times it’s a sign that you are meant for something else. Recognize the difference and be aware of the signs.
- What do people seek your input for? What topics garner your advice from people?
- What would you do for free? In other words, what gets you out of bed on a Sunday morning?
- What do you do that when you do it makes your mind wander and lose track of time? What are you curious about?
- What gets you “riled up”? What’s a problem in the world that you want to fix?
- Think about a something you did that made you feel confident. What was it and what made you most happy?
- What problems would you like to solve in jobs you’ve had or have?
- What results make you happiest?
- What do you like to do every day? Name a few things you truly enjoyed doing today and think about how you can do more of these things. How can you apply what you like to do during the day in an industry that gets you excited? Or, what roles within this industry could you research?
- Who has an interesting job that you want to know more about? How could you learn more? For instance, consider shadowing that person at work to watch what they do.
Take Action – Big or Small
Avoid the obstacle of it not being okay to start small. As Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon said: “Big things start small. The biggest oak starts from an acorn and if you want to do anything new, you’ve got to be willing to let that acorn grow.”
It’s okay to take baby steps. You have permission to not have to make a “big break” at first if you don’t want to. You are testing the waters and must still pay the bills after all. Volunteer, learn, start small. But just be sure to do something every day in pursuit of your goal, even if just for half an hour. This may simply be as easy as focusing on what you like doing at the job you have now or learning a new skill. Alternatively, you might want to make a big shift, such as moving to another town where jobs in your chosen field are growing. However you approach it, embrace this as your own unique path. Take action and eventually you’ll get to the career you seek.