How To Turn A Career Low Point Into A Career High Point
May 16, 2022
The worry about changing
If you're worried about making a change in your career then you're not alone.
And it's also a good sign because it means that you are not sleep walking your way through life.
But most people don't really know what they should do next, or they have a fear of the unknown - and that often puts off decision making, and before you know it 1, 2 or even 5 years has passed by and you're doing the same old thing.
And then you look around you and see other people have made more progress, perhaps gone after the job you wanted and it creates a 'fear of missing out'. But worse than this, it means that you're not open to what opportunities are around - and in this day and age there are incredible opportunities to have a career you feel proud of.
This happened to me
I've had some moments in my career where I've felt that I'm coasting. But I needed it for a while because I had other things going on in life that I needed to pay attention to. But it wasn't something that could go on indefinitely.
I remember one incident - back in 2009 this happened to me. I actually had a depressing time, and things were the lowest they'd been for me in my career. I felt like I wasn't learning anything, that I couldn't see how I could move forward and I felt this sort of pressure to get out.
But I pushed on. I looked for excuses to pretend everything was ok because it was easier to stay put and coast even though I wasn't happy. And then something happened - one day I woke up and I realised that I had to take control of the one thing that I spend most of my waking day doing - my career.
How did I shake it off?
And so I took some time out of work to reflect, and redefine the way I was going in life. Now I know many people might think that 'it's not the right time to do this', or 'what happens if I can't find a job'. But I knew that if I continued out of comfort and fear of change it would be bad for my mental health. So then was the risk in staying or redefining my life? I'd say the biggest risk was in staying because it would be bad for me mentally.
So what did I do? I did what was very unconventional and I don't advise people generally to do this - I negotiated some paid time off work and then contemplated what I should do next. And then I booked a ticket to India and went to the Himalayas. Not for fun, not for a holiday - but to go deeply inside myself and find out what was wrong in my life.
And this was transformative. Because shortly after taking this much needed time out, I got an offer to go contracting, and that was the start of my freelancing and contracting career.
It transformed the way I saw things
As a Business Analyst I always knew that it was possible to go contracting because there is always a strong demand for good BA's, and I had set my goals to do it. But I didn't think it would happen at this point. But the universe, God - or whatever you call it - had other plans for me.
Can the same happen to you?
And I know the same opportunities are available for everyone. The reason I encourage other people to move into a BA career is because it is transformative. You might have an ordinary career, but along with that you have a mountain of value which can turn your unprogressive career into one which is full of adventure, and growth - and is highly rewarding.
But is it right for you? I say it's right for anyone who has some passion and some experience and gets excited by solving problems. And I've seen people in your shoes make an amazing transformation.
So if you are thinking of finding a more rewarding career then let me know in the comments and hit me up with your questions and thoughts.
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