Do you find yourself thinking about a career change? The pandemic has caused many to reassess what they want. It was an opportunity to pause, daydream, and explore, to think about something bigger and broader. It’s okay to allow yourself to imagine what else, but don’t do it through a limited lens.
Now that people have returned to some kind of regular work routine, you know better what is working and what isn’t, and you find yourself craving a big change. Change can feel exciting and empowering, like the answer to all the past career drama and disappointments. But an underlying question, and hurdle for many remains … are you willing to change?
Perhaps that seems like an unnecessary question. Of course you are open to change, because otherwise you wouldn’t even consider it. But when we’re unhappy or anxious, we believe that a big change, especially a career change, will solve all of our problems. We fall into the trap of believing the grass is [always] greener.
The key to avoiding this trap, to making change for the right reasons, and fully understanding the stakes is to reverse engineer the decision-making process. This starts with one question!
What are you willing to trade to open up your options?
This is a question about how big of a change you can handle? It’s important to consider the good things that can come from change. Will you become a more present parent? Will a career change allow you to do work that challenges you to grow and thrive professionally? Will you get back to loving what you do?
But it’s also necessary to consider the tradeoffs. Are you willing to change your salary expectations? Would you give up flexibility? What if you have to take a step back to make a change before getting ahead? By starting at the end of the conversation, you can first consider what you are willing to change before deciding if a big career change is the right decision for you.
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