You are beyond frustrated in your job and would rather give up everything today rather than tomorrow. You’re longing for something new in your career, but you just can’t get the hang of it. You hear everywhere that anyone can find their calling if they want it enough, but you of all people just can’t do it. You’ve already read 27 clever guides, but it stays that way. Your best friends are also at their wits’ end and can’t listen to your whining for a long time. – Well, then you’d better forget about this fantasy of a career change. Finally put a stop to it and accept the fact that you will never be able to do it and now you have to hold out until retirement! And to make this easier for you, I have 8 really good reasons for you to put this topic aside once and for all:
+ + + Warning: This text may contain traces of irony! Please read to the end. + + +
8 good reasons to safely forget about career reorientation.
1. You will go from bad to worse!
Who says a change in career will lead you to the goals of your dreams? Are you quite sure about that? Everywhere you will meet annoying colleagues and unfair bosses. Work is just work, it’s the same everywhere. So why should all your problems and worries suddenly disappear into thin air just because you change jobs? So it’s better to stay out in the rain and endure it before the much bigger thunderstorm awaits you in your next job.
2. You have to let the dream job find you!
Yes, that’s right, you just have to wait long enough and endure a little longer. At some point, when you no longer think about it, a magical door will open and you will finally land your dream job. So stop searching for something that you don’t know anyway and that is making your life miserable. Your dream job will definitely find you if you are ready for it.
3. You’re just too old for change!
If you are past your mid-30s, then you should give up hope of starting something new again. This chance is over, believe me! Who should go to the trouble of training you in a new job at your age? And very important: As we get older, we are no longer as capable of learning. You won’t be able to absorb all that knowledge anymore. And the young people have long been lining up for work after their studies and are also much more flexible and cheaper than you. It’s over. Just come to terms with it!
4. You can’t undo your wrong decisions!
You can’t make big leaps with philosophy or art history or whatever you studied, you definitely should have thought about that earlier. And such incorrect studies or this senseless training will haunt you for the rest of your life. And the decision to start this job you’re now stuck in wasn’t a great achievement either. No matter what new things you start, you will always be confronted with your wrong decisions. So the only thing left is to make the best of it, come to terms with it and, ideally, to be on the safe side, not make any more decisions at all.
5. Only a few people manage to make such reorientations in their careers!
The ex-board member who now runs a successful bar in the Caribbean or the stock market professional who swapped the trading floor for a mountain hut and well-paid snowboard courses. You’ve probably heard about this too. All just showcase examples! Don’t let the media convince you that anyone can make such a change. These people were already extremely successful before and had endless money to build their new paradise. Well, this privilege is reserved for very, very few people and you are probably not one of them.
6. You also have to see what you are giving up!
Remember, every change also means saying goodbye to the old. You don’t really want that, do you? The colleagues with whom you have had so much fun over the last few years. What haven’t you experienced together? The funny gossip sessions in the coffee kitchen or your pranks with the trainees. Do you really want to give up all the product and specialist knowledge you have laboriously acquired over the last few years? Do you really want to rebuild everything from scratch somewhere else?
7. You’ve gotten yourself into something!
You simply have to look at your problem at work from a distance. Change of perspective is the key word. And just like that, it suddenly becomes tiny. Yes, yes, go ahead! As simple as that! You have overestimated everything far too much in the last few months and have gotten yourself into something really big. Because you probably won’t have it that much worse than your colleagues – and they’ll manage it somehow, right? So don’t act like that. Finally come down from this newfangled reorientation trip and you will see that suddenly everything is totally easy again.
8. You wouldn’t be able to do it anyway!
A lot goes into a career change like this. Nothing comes from nothing, that’s how it is! What can you build on then? What is the value of everything you have learned and achieved on the job in the last few years? That’s nothing special compared to other people who are much better than you anyway. You’ve obviously been chasing a nice, colorful dream in the last few weeks, but if you look at it realistically, you of all people would definitely never have achieved it in your life anyway.
Ok, actually this article should end here and anyone who knows me knows how to classify my strange tips correctly. For all new recruits, it would probably be quite damaging to my reputation as a career coach and professional change expert. So here – really just to be on the safe side – is one
Correction !
Maybe these 8 reasons made you smile, laugh out loud, or shake your head in complete disbelief. Maybe you have also found yourself with your way of thinking on some points. Well, I actually come across these perspectives on career changes in a lot of coaching sessions. So they are neither invented nor grossly exaggerated, but reality and therefore should be taken seriously:
The feeling of being too old for something new in your mid-30s. The firm belief that you just have to wait and search for longer until your dream job suddenly appears out of nowhere. The fear of experiencing the same evil again in the next job or finding it much worse. The lack of confidence in one’s own abilities and the blindness to one’s own unique personality. The blinders on, not wanting to see the many opportunities off the current path. And of course the long-established habit of not being able to overcome habits.
Yes, you probably won’t start studying again (but you could) and from my practical experience the cases of 180 degree change are also quite rare (although certainly possible). However, I am convinced that everyone can change something in their job and thus find more satisfaction, joy, fulfillment, happiness or whatever your goal is.
All of the above eight reasons to quickly forget about reorientation are supported and fueled by fears, personal comfort and the habit of giving up responsibility.
What you need instead is clarity through awareness and real personal responsibility, followed by personal interest, curiosity and, above all, a real desire for change.
Easy said ..?!
I didn’t say it was easy. Because in the process of a professional reorientation you will deal with exactly these concerns, fears and habits. You will think about the goals you still have in life and look at where you are still standing in your own way today. You will remember everything you have already learned and achieved and what great skills you already have today that you can use tomorrow. You will look forward and learn through daily practice and find fun again in what it is like to actively shape your life and your career.
Do you forget it or deal with it? – Your decision!
Are there any points in the eight reasons above that made you think, “Yes, he’s so right, that’s exactly how it is!”? Then take a closer look and ask yourself the questions: “Why do I believe this and is what he claims really true? Who says that anyway and do I want to continue to believe in it for my future? It’s your decision.
Are there any reasons above that make you feel like strongly disagreeing with me? Then this is exactly a good sign that you have already taken responsibility for yourself and your life and are ready to tackle your desired change in your career now.
