This episode is about a key element in making a career transition from one career lane to another. It is based on a recent blog post that Kitty wrote by the same title, "When Changing Careers, Seek Clarity Over Confusion.
The blog post is available at
https://teachersintransition.com/changing-careers-in-mid-life/changing-careers-in-mid-life.
The free ebook that was referenced is available at https://kittyboitnott.lpages.co/changing-career-considerations/
This episode is about a key element in making a career transition from one career lane to another. It is based on a recent blog post that Kitty wrote by the same title, "When Changing Careers, Seek Clarity Over Confusion.
The blog post is available at
https://teachersintransition.com/changing-careers-in-mid-life/changing-careers-in-mid-life.
The free ebook that was referenced is available at https://kittyboitnott.lpages.co/changing-career-considerations/
Are you a teacher who's feeling stressed out and overwhelmed? Do you worry that you're feeling symptoms of burnout or are you sure you've already gotten there? Have you started to dream of doing some other kind of job or perhaps pursuing a whole different career, but you don't know what else you're even qualified to do? You don't know how to start a job search. You just feel stuck. If that sounds like you, I promise you're not alone. My name is Kitty Boitnott. I'm a career transition and job search coach and I specialize in helping burnt out teachers just like you deal not only with the stress and overwhelm of your day-to-day job, but to consider what other careers might be out there waiting for you. Join me for"Teachers in Transition." In some episodes I'll be speaking to stress management techniques and how you can manage your stress on a day to day basis. In other episodes I'll be talking about career transition. What tools do you need to be successful in a job search when you're moving from one career into a totally different track? These are questions that you need answers to and I can help you find those answers. My name is Kitty Boitnott. Welcome to"Teachers in Transition." Hi, this is Kitty Boitnott of"Teachers in Transition," and welcome to episode nine of"Teachers in Transition," the podcast and YouTube Channel. Today I want to talk about a recent blog post that I put out on the"Teachers in Transition" website, and it refers to when changing careers, you need to seek clarity over confusion. Now, what do I mean by that? Lots of times when people are considering changing their job or switching from one career lane into another, they tend to think that the first thing that they should do is to write a resume and I contend that that is the incorrect way to start a job search or career change. That in fact, before you can even begin to consider what to include in a resume, you need to find clarity about what it is that you want to do in your next endeavor. And often people don't have that clarity, at least not at first. I know I didn't when I started my career transition. All I knew for sure were the things that I never to have to do again in my next career had a list. You know, it's a mile long of all the things that I would prefer not to ever have to do again, if I could choose what I was wanting to do next. But as far as what I did want, that was as murky and uncertain and muddy as possible to the extent that I finally decided that I could not do this alone, that I needed some help. And that's when I hired a Career Coach and it was the best investment I've ever made. Now I know most of us think that we're smart enough to figure all of this stuff out. I have two Master's degrees and a Ph.D. Certainly, I have the intelligence to figure out how to make a job change. And yet that's not my area of expertise. And I hadn't looked for work outside of education ever. So I had no experience with writing a resume. And I made the mistake, frankly, of having someone write a professional resume for me. I paid almost$400 for it. And I never ever used it. I still to this day feel like I just flushed that money down the toilet for all the good it did me. And the reason it didn't do me any good, now that I think back on it and reflect on it was not the professional resume writer's fault. It was my fault because I couldn't convey a sense of clarity about what it was that I wanted to do. All I knew were the things that I had done and in most cases the things that we've done have little to do with what it is that we want to do moving forward. So how do you...how do you get that to conform with being able to write a, a meaningful, relevant and pertinent resume? Well, I think it's possible. I just think that the first step is that you have to figure out what it is that you want to do and then you have to be crystal clear about what it is that you want to do. You have to clear up all that confusion. It's very similar to, and I use this analogy a lot, let's say you decide to go somewhere and so you go online and you book your airfare and you make your hotel reservations, but you haven't decided yet where you're going. Now, you wouldn't do that, would you? I mean, I don't know anybody who would do that. That sounds crazy. And yet writing a resume before you have figured out where you're going and what you want to do is just about that futile. It won't get you where you want to go. So when making a career change or looking to make a change in your job circumstance, the first order of business I contend is to figure out what do you want? And for many people, they don't know how to answer that question, partly because they haven't spent any time thinking about it on a deep level. They've been told that they have to get a job and to get take what they can get. Settle for what you can find. There are lots of people who are whiling away their lives and jobs that they have simply settled for. They don't enjoy them. They don't find meaning in them. They may be paying the bills with the money that they make from it, but they're just"doing time." And I would suggest that it's far more, pertinent and far more important for you to find work that helps you to make a life instead of making a living. Making a life is so much more than just making a living. Making a life means that you have a sense of balance between work and home, that you have fun for yourself, that you have time for things that are important to you outside of work. And the best of all worlds is when you can combine your work with what it is that you're the most passionate about. But in order to do that, you have to do some real deep reflection. You have to go within, you have to consider what is it that makes you unique and special? What talent do you have that you take for granted that you think would come so easily for you? It must come easily for everyone. That is not true. Each person that I've ever met has a unique set of talents, natural gifts, attitudes, a unique history of work and education. All of these factors go into what would make you happy in your next job. And while I know there's some who poo-poo, the idea of being happy at work because they don't think that work needs to be fun. Work is work. Why would it need to be fun? That's what you have weekends, vacations for. But I want to contend that it's possible for you to have a job where you can have fun, where you enjoy working with the people, where you feel like you're being appreciated for the contributions that you may and that at the end of the day you feel like what you're doing means something instead of just going through the motions and spending time on the job in order to get a paycheck. I don't think that is a crazy idea. I really don't. And yet a lot of people think that that sounds impractical; and maybe it is impractical, but I know a lot of successful people who are doing exactly what they are meant to be doing and there was no template for what they decided to do with their lives. They just followed their heart, followed their passion, and figured out a way to make it work. Whatever it is for you, you just need to get the clarity that you need in order to proceed to your next step. Now, how do you gain that clarity? Well, some people use self assessments, there are a variety of them both online and then all of this self help books that you can find at the bookstore. I often recommend that people take a look at the What Color is Your Parachute book, and I also recommend Careerealism by JT O'donnell. I recommend to Talane Miedaner's book, Coach Yourself to a New Career. These are all references that are available to you that you can purchase and read on your own. And many of them include assessments that can help you to get in touch with what are your unique work preferences, learning styles, and what is it that you would feel would be the most meaningful to you and your next job. I think all of that is important to do that kind of self reflection. And as you do that, what it is that you feel called to do should bubble up to the surface. Now, I won't kid you. For some people it takes longer than for others. And so the requirement is that you be open to the possibilities that what shows up for you is not necessarily what you were expecting, but that it ends up being the perfect thing for you. So be open. Consider the various possibilities though. Don't close off your opportunities by thinking too small. While you are in the midst of a transition, this is the time for you to dream big and consider what it is that you want to leave as your legacy in the world. So that's it. Clarity over confusion if you are planning to change careers. Now some of this is...I have some more information available in the blog post that I'll put in the show notes, the link too. I also have additional advice and information included in the ebook. 10 Things You Need to Know. If You Think You Are Ready for a Job or Career Change. I'll include the free link to that as well. It's a free resource you can take advantage of to help you get in touch with what is it that you want to do in your next career. So that's it for today. Please do subscribe to the Youtube Channel or the podcast or both so that you can be alerted when the next episode of"Teachers in Transition" comes up next week. And in the meantime if you have questions or comments, please feel free to leave those, send me messages, let me know what you would like for me to talk about in the future related to stress management or career transition and offer a review. I would appreciate that very much. And have a great day. I'll be back next week. So there you have it, an episode of"Teachers in Transition." I hope you enjoyed the information and I hope you'll plan to come back. Please subscribe to"Teachers in Transition" so that you can be alerted of future episodes. And let me know if you have any questions or topics that you would like me to specifically cover in a future episode. I'm more than happy to help with individual questions as well. So email me at KittyBoitnott@BoitnottCoaching.com. If you are interested in finding a new career or just enjoying your life more, this is the place to start. Hi, I'm Kitty Boitnott and this is"Teachers in Transition."