Every jobseeker has a career transition roadmap they can follow. You have one too. It is like an internal GPS navigator, guiding you to the career you are meant for. What I call your Career Destiny.
Unfortunately, not everyone follows their career roadmap GPS!
So after years at the wrong job, they end up in the same place where they started, needing to transition again.
If you have the need to transition to a new job, or want to make a midlife career change at 40 or 50, you want to get it right this time.
As a Career Transition Coach, I can tell you a career switch should be approached carefully. You have to map out a smart career roadmap and keep a strong mindset to navigate through to it.
A good way to understand how to set up a career roadmap in 2022 is to use an example from GPS navigation apps for inspiration.
What are now known as GPS Navigation apps such as WAZE or MapQuest are based on digitizing what used to be hard copy paper roadmaps.
The same GPS roadmap navigation concept can apply to your career transition.
Of course, the GPS automatically plots these steps digitally for you, but for this job transitioning example, visualize yourself plotting out the steps yourself, using a paper map.
As you would with a paper roadmap, a GPS uses three steps to get you to your destination:
You may have a few other considerations:
Step One: Locate where you are now
First, like a GPS would, you want to determine where you are now, your starting point
Step Two: Locate your destination
Next, you want to figure out where do you want to land?
Step Three: Plot out how you will get to your destination
The third step of your GPS roadmap requires that you plot out the steps of how you will get to your destination:
Other considerations:
If you think these three steps through even on a high level, this simple roadmap model can give your transition a lot more clarity and a lot more sanity.
Assessing your career roadmap destination isn’t always a clear path. However, because job transitioning is one of the most difficult things you will ever do, you can’t leave it to chance.
The wrong choices can land you back in the same old situation, or extend your transition from months into years. The right choices can guide you to your destiny.
Sadly, advice on the topic of how to navigate a transition to a new career is very random and arbitrary, even from authoritative sources!
Beware of unproven slapdash theories like these while you are in a vulnerable stage of passage and evolution like you are now.
For example:
If you are searching for career transition ideas, you will find many career transition coaches talk about the mechanics of changing jobs.
They may focus on job search tactics, interview preparation to explain your change, updating your resume, education paths, etc.
This is putting the cart before the horse. The GPS roadmap says job search is step three of your roadmap. You can’t skip step one (locate where you are now) and and step two (locate your destination.)
Of course, you want the job search portion of the transition to be underway as quick as possible, you have bills to pay, however you don’t want to miss the chance to do phase one and two right this time.
That’s why I think the most overlooked phase of transitioning to a new career is the career planning aspect.
You can’t ignore what you are feeling, yet you can’t act out of desperation. You can’t be reactive. You have to keep your powder dry and be patient.
These step one “where you are now” roadmap questions and how you are feeling need to be addressed on some kind of a mental and spiritual level. Otherwise you just end up in the wrong gig again. Let’s address them now.
To make a successful transition, there are 3 mental and spiritual aspects to consider:
Making peace with your past choices
Yes, making peace with your past choices is easier said than done. But we are not talking about a psych evaluation here, all we are talking about is simple acceptance about how you ended up where you are now. It’s about being kind and forgiving to yourself so you can move on.
Openly embracing the present
Once you have accepted where you are at without anger or blame, successful career transition requires you to embrace the present.
This means gaining a clear grasp about what you are meant to be and being true to your capabilities. Your past career roles do not have to limit your options as to what your next roles can be.
Move on to your bright future
You naturally have uncertainty and trepidation about where you are, but once you make peace with it and embrace the present, you can look at the world in a peaceful way. Then you can maneuver yourself into a bright future – your Career Destiny.
To summarize, the whole point of the transition roadmap concept is, you can’t just wing it with a gut feeling, or you can get lost on your journey. You must plot a roadmap to define the career role you can thrive in.
Like a GPS you need to identify your career destination, and plot out the steps to navigate to it.
The beauty of this roadmap concept is once you are clear about your destination and are really, deeply mentally ready for it to happen, it can happen very quickly!
Did you enjoy this career transition roadmap approach concept? To discover how you can make it happen for you, try my one week home study course. It will identify your career destination and how to navigate to it quickly.
Larry LaFata is founder of defineyourcareer.com, a site dedicated to help you discover your Career Destiny, regardless of your background, education or experience. His innovative courses include Define Your Career Destiny one week home study course and a two-hour Career Destiny Workshop for Friends.
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