Lisa S Downing

Reinventing your career is not always your choice.  In today’s economy, outsourcing , corporate downsizing and outdated skill sets lead to as many or more career changes than those that occur due to dissatisfaction with your current work choice.  Losing a job that you enjoy, for any reason, is discouraging.  Finding a new job, in the same field and at the same pay is often impossible.  If you have been looking for a new job for a long time you are likely discouraged and possibly not  feeling all that optimistic about your future or what it holds.  When you are forced into the reinvention process by circumstances sometimes it is not always easy to make a decision to do something different.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what you have to do.

If you loved your work and it is still a marketable skill then you might have to

• Accept lower pay
• Freshen up your skills at night or vocational school
• Learn new skills to keep you ahead of your contemporaries and at the top of your profession

If you were thinking about changing careers anyway then this may be the opportunity that you have been waiting for.  Determine what it was that was so dissatisfying for you at your previous job.

• Was the work boring?
• Were there frustration factors in your workplace (co-workers, hours, commute, equipment,…)?
• Did you have difficulty following instructions because you knew you could do it better?

If you are still working but just don’t want to be there you need to figure out what is making you want to leave.  If there are frustration factors that are making you think about leaving, reevaluate whether it was the career or the employer that you wanted to leave.  You may be able to find a more satisfying work environment at a different company without changing careers.  Career reinvention does not necessarily mean that you have to completely change skill sets.  Perhaps you just need to find something a little more challenging in the area where you are currently working.  For example, many years ago I met a gentleman who had been a very successful chiropractor, but it just wasn’t enough for him and so he went back to medical school to become a physician.  My friend’s brother ran a prominent commercial contracting business but got tired of the ups and downs in the construction industry and used his skills to open a handyman business that only services commercial facilities.  He has fewer employees to manage, never has to be concerned about the weather holding up his work and the work is consistent, which means his paycheck is too.  In both of these cases they reinvented their careers without changing their field of work.  They just improved their skill set or found a different avenue to market their skills.

If the work you do is boring to you, it really doesn’t matter how good the workplace might be, it will only be a matter of time before you will be bored again regardless of how many times you change employers.  You are a prime candidate for career reinvention.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a doctor or a trash collector, if your job is uninteresting you will not do it as well as something that you are passionate and excited about.  So what is your passion?  Did you define your dream?    This is where you start and then put your plan in place to get to the career that you desire.  I do not recommend that you run out and quit your job, if you have one, to start recreating yourself.  I know you might be frustrated and emotionally ready to leave, but having a steady income makes it easier not to settle for less than what you really want when the time actually comes for you to move on.

If you are entrepreneurial, it will be very difficult for you to operate under the yoke of a supervisor.  You may find yourself constantly at odds with your boss because  you want to run the show.   Reinvention for you is a somewhat different process but once again, begins with the definition of the dream.   Here are some more things to think about.  Make certain that what you are experiencing is not just a ‘personality clash’  with your employer.  When you decide to become an entrepreneur every decision about your business rests on your shoulders, the risk is all yours, and the hours are much longer than what you are doing now.  If that doesn’t intimidate you a little then you are fooling yourself, stay in your job until your ready to be honest with yourself.  If it’s a little scary but you aren’t overwhelmed by it, then owning your own business might be the right step for you.  If you are not certain that you have the type of mindset it takes , don’t have an immediate customer base, or are unsure of the marketability of your product or service then start part-time and build your business until it replaces your full time income.

In summing it up, the next step in reinventing your career is deciding just how far you want or need to go.  A new work environment may be all you need to become excited about your career again.  Expanding your skills within your current area of expertise or changing your market focus may create the job satisfaction that you have been looking for.  Starting over requires you to define your passion and to develop ways to create an income from your interests.  Go ahead and get started, I’ll be here if you need some encouragement while you are reinventing your career.  Just drop me a note.