Handling insecurity of a career change

You are bound to feel insecure when you are in a job that is not to your liking. Why? It is because you are not doing something that is your passion and hence not putting in your best. On the contrary, if you are making full use of your natural talents, you are at ease with both your work and yourself. It is therefore, in the fitness of things to introspect and do some self-discovery to discern whether you are pursuing the right career or if you are a square peg in a round hole. But switching over from one career to another is fraught with risks – you will not be able to predict what lies in store for you in the ensuing five years or even less. And that is what uncertainty and insecurity of a career change is all about.

When you bid goodbye to your present career and embark upon a new one, you go through three distinct phases of uncertainty. It starts from apprehensions before the change per se and till the time you take the plunge. These phases and methods to handle them are:

·   Identifying fear of uncertainty: There is nothing unusual about being apprehensive of a big change. The experience could well be unbearable and even incapacitating. Alertness and consciousness of the fear are the maiden step in the right direction. Once you acknowledge this fear, you are all set to be moving on the correct course. If you suffer from a feeling of being weighed down, you can always cut down on your apprehensions by understanding why they have crept in. You must reduce to writing all your fears that may include financial issues, inability to spare time to give wings to your passions and an absence of appreciation from others. Having identified the fears that you think you are subjected to, you should write down their prompting factors; it is essential that these be done in an interrogative form. To illustrate the point, if you are worried about financial instability, the question could be ‘How will I be able to earn sufficient money if I leave my current job?’ Likewise, if your worry is about not being able to pursue your natural talents, the question could well be ‘How will I attain things that I want to if I stick around with my present job?’ Having done this, you should identify the primary and foremost uncertainty or uncertainties that are pertinent like remorse, disappointment, impression and money, etc.   

·   Triumph over uncertainty: You will automatically become aware of different openings, breaks and prospects that lie when you ask yourself about various issues that are the cause of your apprehensions. This will serve to make you self-assured that things will indeed be fine when you make the change. For example, if you fear that you will not be able to have adequate earnings to sustain your present lifestyle, you may come out with ways and means to reduce your expenditures or save money. You could also propose to yourself some extra work in your spare time. Deciding to work on an honorary basis for sometime in anticipation of being offered that job can also be silver lining in the cloud.

·   Acceptance of fear: Mere acknowledgement of fear is not sufficient; you will have to transform it into an opportunity by instituting tangible steps. There are basically two things that can cause you to be proactive in this regard without difficulty. Firstly, you need to view your life like a trial and research. There is nothing wrong if all decisions that you make are not faultless. The fact that you are prone to experiments implies that you can take risks and can cope with the ups and downs of life. Resultantly, you will take things in stride and derive enjoyment and satisfaction from your actions.

Remember that it is you alone who can be instrumental in characterize your success. It is not necessary that you emulate the definition of success of others. You should be clear about what success means to you. When you make a career change, the parameters of success will change too and that will necessitate articulating what you appreciate, treasure and cherish most once again. It goes without saying that you will experience some difficulties and hence will have to cater to overcoming them. But most importantly, you should have an open mind and accept challenges and complexities with a smile. To be able to take things in stride, you will surely need a characterization of success that is in conformity with the change that you are seeking.

Uncertainty and insecurity are two very commanding feelings. During the initial stages of a career change, they can be agonizingly influential in the negative sense. But if you remain on course with an upbeat outlook, they can serve to give you clout and muscle because they come to you along with opportunities.  Therefore, there is no need to worry; you ought to be there willing to take them in your fold with a determination to overcome them.