Monday, November 6, 2017

Career Change, Job Searching, and New Beginnings

Hello Friends,

I hope you are all doing well. In the spirit of NaBloPoMo, I would like to delve into some new topics I have not discussed in much depth in the past. Over the past year, I have gone through quite a transition that five years ago I would not have thought I would. I left my first career in Early Childhood Education and working in childcare centres to taking Office Administration courses and thinking of a different job entirely. I made this change because I found that it was not a good fit for me anymore, my interests were changing, and I was feeling more ready than ever for a change after working in several childcare centres. I did not feel working in a school environment as a teacher was what I wanted either. I was always trying to figure out how to be happy working in the job field and it was a struggle for me. I was not getting out of it anymore what I did when I first finished school.

I have decided to go into Office Administration because I have always loved working on computers, and enjoyed working in customer service.in retail positions I might pursue a career as a receptionist at first, then maybe pursue a job as an Administrative Assistant once I gain more experience. I am excited for a new beginning and I am hoping that I love it, and this is what I really should be doing. It is hard to change our path when we always only saw one and thought we knew what direction our life was heading in. I think that we just have to make a change sometimes if something is not feeling right for us. We shouldn't compare ourselves to others and I know I did this a lot when I was in my first career. Just because someone else is happy in a job, does not mean you will find meaning in it as much as you try. I am just grateful that I realized it when I did and made the change. I am still interested in Early Childhood Education and Early Intervention but now I focus on that being more of an interest of mine and what I enjoyed studying in school.


      I read What Color Is Your Parachute? 2017: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles last year around this time and discovered that I would probably be embarking on a career change. When I worked on the fourth petal in the exercise, I discovered that my preferred working conditions were working on my own predominately, a quiet work environment,  and an independent work space. All of these things were hard to obtain in the childcare environment. It makes a lot of sense to me now, I enjoy working on my blog which is an independent job, love thinking of ideas on my own, and I love knitting which is also a very solitary and independent activity. The book allowed me to see myself in a different way and I would recommend this book if you are considering a career change because it really helps you to answer all of the important questions and to lead you in the right direction to your new career.

I will be applying for jobs soon as I will be finishing my Office Administration courses in December this year. I am starting to do job searches and looking forward to beginning a new career. I feel a bit nervous, but I know that is normal when making such a big shift and I hope that this career fits me better. Are you making a career change or have been thinking about it? Let me know in the comments below about your journey. It was one of the hardest things I have done in my life to make the decision to change careers, go back to school, and now I will be embarking on this new journey. It is so worth making the change in order to find the right career and to enjoy going to a job everyday that fits you perfectly and allows you to use your greatest strengths.

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading my career change story, if you would like to keep updated on when I post entries on my blog, please follow me on Bloglovin', Google Followers, and you can subscribe by email in the top right hand corner of the blog.

Have a great day!



15 comments:

  1. It's strange to think that we make the decision of what we want to do for the rest of our lives when we are barely even adults. We have no idea who we are or who we will be in the future, yet we go through years of college that will essentially lock us into a particular field that we may end up hating.

    It is wonderful that you have courageously decided to leave your old field and find a new career. You have to find what makes you happy and go for it, and it sounds like you will be very happy in Office Admin. Best of luck in your job search!

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    1. Thank you Aimie! I agree, it is a lot to decide when we are still in high school and I think I even took in my twenties to figure it out too. I pursued lots of post secondary education in ECE, only to find myself thinking this is not for me. I am happy that now I am on a different path and hoping for the best!

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  2. I agree with Aimie .... in high school I had no idea how many things I could be. There was no money for college so I sort of fell into an office job. I worked in several different industries, but always in the office.

    When we moved to Florida it made sense to find a job that worked the school season so I became a substitute teacher. It didn't require a degree (at that time) and fit with my family situation of being home when Stephen was home.

    If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have pursued college more seriously ---- I have some classes but no degree and it probably would have been in a health and safety or industrial engineering field.

    That's something I never would have imagined as an 18 year old.

    My only advice would be to follow your heart --- you will know in your heart whether something is right for you or not. Someone once told me when faced with a choice flip a coin. If you are sad that it comes up a certain way, you know that was not the right choice for you.

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    1. Thanks for sharing Dee! It is hard to know sometimes at a young age what we want to do forever and while we don't know, we try different things. That is great you know now what you would have wanted to study, it helps us to understand ourselves even if we don't do it as a job. Thank you for the advice, I hope to follow that advice to lead me to where I should be!

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  3. I started a new job just yesterday! Although it wasn't a career change it was nerve-wracking as it was in a new organisation, with lots of new people and procedures to learn. So, I imagine a total career change would be pretty scary, but exciting? You have to do what makes you happy so this sounds like a really positive time for you. Good luck with it all :)
    Mind Over Meta

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    1. That's great! I hope it went well :) there's always so much to learn in a new job and I get a bit nervous the first little while, then it becomes second nature which is the best time. It is exciting, I am looking forward to learning new things and seeing what I am capable of outside the realm of ECE I was in for so long. Thanks for your support! hope you enjoy your new job!

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  4. It takes a lot of courage to change your career path but it's the right thing to do if you're not happy in your current position. I think it sounds very exciting, good luck I hope that you find a job that you love. :) x

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  5. Hey Lisa,
    I do have a lot of job trouble experience and was pondering a career change more than once. Unfortunately I never really new what would fit better and all the books and coaching didn't give me much clearance. In the end I decided to quite my job and go freelance to be independent of all the bosses and company. Best decision ever.
    I did write a post about my experience and learnings job hunting if you would like to check it out: http://www.craftaliciousme.com/10-things-learned-job-hunting/
    Good luck for the new career,
    Tobia

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    1. Hi Tobia, yes sometimes reading books does not help and only makes it more overwhelming because there are so many choices. That's why I liked What Color is My Parachute because it never tells you want you should do, only tells you your preferences then it becomes a bit more clear. But still I haven't had the Aha moment even now I am still figuring it out. Glad you figured out that freelance was for you! I will check out your post thanks for the link! Thank you for the support :)

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  6. Best of luck with your new career! I'll be on the job hunt myself...but I'll be looking to pick up a second job. I will have to come back and check out everyone's job hunting advice and experiences soon!

    Kim @ The ReInVintaged Life

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  7. go you on tweaking your career and taking charge. I hope you find a job that is rewarding and fun!

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  8. Kudos to you, Lisa. It takes a lot of courage to make this kind of change. blessings ~ tanna

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Thank you for visiting my blog! I really enjoy reading your comments, I will reply as soon as I can!
Lisa

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