When you are looking to change your job or your career, the world of opportunity can be both exciting and overwhelming. It can be a big decision to consider all alone, and therefore you may seek out resources other than your own opinion.
You may feel very passionate about making a career change. But it can still leave you feeling anxious when it comes to the details. Having an unclear path ahead can cause you doubt and confusion, cause disruption in your family, and even leave you to consider reversing your decision.
Trying something new in your career should not be a stressful process but an exciting and fun experience. Sometimes you need a new point of view to gain consistency in your confidence and to examine your new path forward in the best light.
Try any of these uncommon career change resources when exploring a new career direction and to support you on your path forward into new territory.
1. A Life Coach
You may have expected a career coach to be the first recommendation when making a career change. And, yes, a career coach can be an excellent option for obvious reasons. However, if the career coach that you have identified is not also a life coach, you may want to seek out a life coach specifically.
Life coaching is a broader yet useful discipline as it often centers around supporting you in creating overall well-being within your life. By examining your values, personal needs, and conflicts, solutions are developed to create more ease in your life by maximizing your internal and external resources to get there.
When you are making a career change it can absolutely create conflict in other parts of your life. It can heighten your internal sense of stress and anxiety that often accompany the life-change process. Working with a life coach can assist you in making the transition one that supports you, your lifestyle, and your personality. You can make the necessary change in your career while keeping intact all the other important parts of your life that make you happy and whole.
2. Religious Leader in Your Community
For those who are religious, consulting a religious leader for counsel within your specific faith may seem natural. However, this may be an underutilized resource when it comes to your career development and related decisions.
Consider that making a significant change in your life can be a test of faith in yourself. You may also seek to ensure that you are properly interpreting your calling to go a different direction. You can find that speaking to someone who understands dilemmas in faith and following your intuition can be of significant help.
Additionally, career changes are often accompanied by new introspection. You may have a new desire to serve a more meaningful purpose. Or you may want to apply your innate and learned knowledge in new ways. A religious leader can act as a partner on your journey of internal assessment aligned with the beliefs you value.
Certain career changes can on the surface create havoc in other parts of your life. Predicting this can cause you to question whether or not you are acting on selfish principles. Does it make sense to make a change that works against harmony within your family or places yourself at financial risk? Your religious resource can provide guidance, religious reference, and an unbiased ear to help you through your decision-making.
The resources within your religious community can be vast. And may even include those who have experienced your particular challenges first-handedly. Be open to seeking out those who share your similar belief system and values and who can make your transition easier.
3. Your Work Nemesis
Your work nemesis may not be as unbearable as you think when you take a closer look at your conflict. The bitter feelings you hold may have less to do with the person. But instead, you may be preoccupied with comparing yourself to them and feeling bad about how you measure up.
If you know another employee who performs a job you would love to have but are intimidated by how well they do it, talk to them. If you can brave putting aside your own insecurities, you may open yourself up to a host of opportunities.
Connecting with a person at work regarding a new career interest provides easy access to information. Additionally, since you already see the person’s work results, you know you are dealing with a skilled reference.
Explore if you may be able to coordinate shadowing opportunities or sit-ins on meetings or projects. Even a simple referral could be of support. Developing an unlikely ally can be just what you need to build your confidence in trying new things with success.
4. Your Parents
We all evolve over time. But there are certain core things about us that remain constant throughout our lives. Who better to identify these traits and talk through them with you than your parents?
Now, not everyone has a positive relationship with their parents. If this is you, you may not want to take this route as it may only add more stress to your path. But if you are fortunate to have a positive relationship, then share your concerns, reservations, and aspirations with your parents and ask for their advice.
You may be shocked to learn your parents faced similar situations in the past. It may have occurred at a time when you were not old enough to notice. But now you can learn and grow from their experience. Knowing you well, your parents may provide you insight to how you handle change or transition.
Even if your parents cannot provide specific guidance, it can be nice to be given overall support. A positive influence in your corner when you are facing doubt and internal questioning can make all the difference.
5. A Psychic or Other Medium
Using the services of a psychic, medium, or empath may not be for everyone, but exploring this path is one that works for many.
You may have heard that people will seek the services of a psychic because they desire guarantees for their future. Unfortunately, readings tend to provide a view of possibilities at the time that you receive the service but often cannot guarantee future events. Despite this many like to use these services to explore insights of a broader perspective and to bring to light unseen aspects of their life.
For example, you may connect with a psychic who uses astrology in their readings and can explain planetary influence to the timing of your decisions or the business culture best suited for your sign. An empath, whether or not they possess psychic abilities, may interpret with depth your emotional condition and the perceived readiness for transition based on your current standing.
A medium may channel communication with your spirit guides or important people who have transitioned and reinforce for you a sense of presence and support when you feel alone on your journey. You may also feel a greater sense of purpose if you feel that your attributes and skills are part of a legacy of talent within your lineage.
Being open-minded to exploring psychics and other similar services can provide you with a different perspective than others you may have thought to entertain for your career transition. If you are looking to try consulting a psychic for the first time, you may want to try Keen (affiliate link).
Psychic and Other Medium Services
Keen offers 24/7 access to psychic advisors who specialize in many different areas and can provide guidance on career, finances, romantic relationships, and personal life challenges. You can explore the background of the service provider before you select them, learn their style, and see their reviews so as to make an informed decision before finalizing a purchase decision.
Options are there to assist you on your journey in the way that best suits your needs. And you can simply take a light-hearted but informative exploratory approach toward learning new perspectives and advice with minimal investment.
6. Your Alma Mater
Seeking guidance from your university or college may seem as if it is only for new grads or entry-level career candidates. But many institutions offer life-long access to advisement and are open to providing you assistance throughout your career.
Particularly when anticipating a new career path or new industry pursuit, educational institutions are well equipped to help. They can possess easy access to up-to-date information on the career trends within certain disciplines or the market within their region. Additionally, they may have additional services to support networking or resume refreshers. And, of course, will have information on coursework, certificates, and online learning that can best serve you in preparation for your new endeavor.
It is also important to remember that new staff may have joined their teaching community since the days of your graduation. Connecting with new professors or administration and asking for their insights can expand your network and provide you with a different perspective than when you were active on campus.
7. Unfamiliar LinkedIn Connections
LinkedIn is a tremendous networking resource for professionals to build connections with individuals from their past and current places of employment and within their field. Because you have the option to make your profile public, you can gain the interest of those who are not in your direct business community but who have learned of you through others or due to their own search efforts.
That said, if you have been using the platform for some time, you likely have picked up a number of connections that were courtesy connections only. In an effort to be hospitable and to boost your 1st or 2nd contact list, you said yes to connect with individuals that you really do not know.
When you are exploring new career opportunities, do not hesitate to utilize your expanded network to your advantage. This is exactly what the tool is for. If you do not know an individual who holds a position or works for a company that is of interest to you, message them to see their availability for an exploratory discussion. Or send a note asking for insight or recommendations on how to pursue your new career interest further.
Informal or distance networking can be an excellent alternative for those who are not comfortable in face-to-face discussions or with random after-work dinners or meetings where walking up to strangers is anxiety provoking. Use your LinkedIn platform to gain the best of both worlds by asking otherwise uncomfortable but necessary questions in the easiest way possible.
Conclusion
Career changes can be stressful enough without feeling as if you have to go on the journey alone. And while you may have done the research to light the flame of your interest, you may still hold reservations about change.
Consider seeking the insight and advice of others who you may not have commonly thought to talk to for this type of decision. You may find that connecting with an unfamiliar or uncommon resource may provide you with just the perspective that you need. Build up your confidence, faith in yourself, and certainty in the direction you have chosen with the right career resource by your side.
Do you have any other ideas for uncommon resources to assist when considering a new career path?? If so, share yours in the Comments below and join the discussion. The perfect help can often be found in the most unlikely of places.
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