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Winning careers, like winning start-ups, are in permanent beta: always a work in progress.
—Reed Hoffman, LinkedIn cofounder and coauthor of The Start-up of You
Until recent years, most people could expect to take a job as a young adult and stay with the same company until retirement. But today that sort of employment longevity is a rarity. How times have changed!
For example, consider the career changes I’ve made in my own life:
- Engineering (11 years): My undergraduate degree is in mechanical engineering, and I spent my first career at an aircraft engine manufacturer in Indianapolis (5 as a co-op student and 6 more after graduation).
- Entertainment (12 years): I had always yearned to work in entertainment, so I started a new career in Los Angeles at InterActiveCorp. A year later IAC moved me to New York (where I’ve been ever since), and after another year I joined Oxygen Media (8 years), then NBC Universal (9 months) after its purchase of Oxygen.
- Entrepreneurship (5 ½ years): I founded my own consulting, training, and coaching company in September 2008, and (knock on wood!) it’s been a success since launch.
Even though I’ve loved every job I’ve had, I’m constantly looking for the next challenge. Once I’ve mastered a career or company, I get the urge to move on and explore something else. I believe that we each have only one life to live, and I intend to spend mine trying as many things as possible—including careers!
Is changing careers unusual?
Not at all! Statistically speaking, I’m actually average: workplace research indicates that most people change careers 5–7 times in their lives. (As lifespans continue to increase and Boomers and younger generations continue to reinvent themselves, I bet this number will go up.) So don’t be worried if you’re thinking of switching careers. You’re in good company, because lots of other people are doing it too.
What’s a good starting point?
If you’re wondering about a career change for yourself, take some time to mull over the following ideas:
- Careers require flexibility, because the employment landscape keeps evolving. Skills considered essential just ten years ago are now obsolete, so make sure you’re constantly learning and adapting. Remember, your career is in “permanent beta”—so there’s always space for change and growth.
- In contrast to many other experts on career pathing, both Jane Pauley (in Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life) and Reed Hoffman (in The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career) emphasize that finding your “one true passion” is more myth than practicality, because dreams often change with time and experience. So don’t wait for the “perfect moment” or “dream job” to appear. As Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love, put it:
“Research shows that the traits that lead people to love their work are general, and can be found in many different career paths. . . . Once you recognize that these traits have little to do with following a pre-existing passion and can be cultivated in many different fields, you can safely abandon the myth that there’s a single right job waiting for you.”
You don’t have to make “one giant leap” to a new career. In fact, pivoting careers (i.e., making small shifts) can be just as powerful as changing careers completely. Pivots allow for continuous forward movement toward a larger goal, letting you use a trial-and-error approach to refine your path.
- If you’re not sure where you want your path to lead, pick the next step with the broadest range of options, then begin to narrow it down to a more manageable plan as you gain experience and knowledge.
How do I make a change?
First, prepare yourself for a possible financial hit. You might make less money in the early stages of your new career, for example, or you might even experience a permanent decrease in income. Nothing kills a great new plan faster than worrying about how you’re going to pay rent and put food on your table (especially if you have a family), so get all your financial ducks in a row before making any big changes.
Next, do some research about what’s really involved in the career you’re targeting. You need to know what you’re getting into! This knowledge can help prevent “buyer’s remorse” that can arise when your new career doesn’t meet your expectations (and you start to regret leaving your old one). Volunteering is one great way to learn about a new field, as is connecting with someone who’s already in that field (and can possible serve as a mentor if you decide to take the leap).
What’s next?
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
—Wayne Gretzy, retired NHL player
The key to doing something different is to do something different. Do something every day that moves you toward your next goal in life. Time marches on, regardless of what you do (or don’t do). So treat every day as an opportunity to explore and change!
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Ready to explore some more? I’ve published a few other posts that are tangentially related to this topic and may help you figure out your own next step: