Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited

Return to career-consulting-limited.com
Managing
People
Managing Your Career
CV Examples
Coaching
Cover Letter Examples
Pre-Employment Tests


Reinvent Yourself in a New Career


Some people reserve the word "vocation" for religious calling. Contemporary career guides encourage us to think of a "life purpose" that guides and gives meaning to a life, regardless of career. See, for example, Mark Albion's book, Making a Life, Making a Living.

Many people speak of being "called" to a career. There is a sense of "inevitability," that, "I was meant to do this." Some say, "This feels right."

Self-help books, career coaches and counselors are available to help people who want to discover their sense of purpose. In reality, all any of us can do is stir the pot: create an environment where vocation can be discovered and grown.

The push for reinvention can come from yourself or from external forces.

It can be more difficult to deal with losing a much-loved career that gave meaning to a life. Sometimes the vocation can be taken away when a job is lost or a market disappears.

Often, however, people feel no external push out the door. They just realize, sadly, that they no longer love what they are dong. Or they no longer believe their work has value. And, they ask, what next?

Reinvention does not follow burnout.

Losing a vocation is not the same as "burning out." Burnout, a well-defined psychological condition, results when people feel they are giving more to their work than they are getting back. They begin to see clients as ungrateful and undeserving.

Burnout requires healing: deeper personal relationships, creativity, and time off. A lost vocation cannot be healed. It may return in a different form but people must recognize that it is a real loss that will be grieved.

Four steps to find your way forward

You probably can't go home again, but here are some ways to go forward.

First, create your own way to say good-by to your former life. Not everyone experiences severe grief symptoms -- sleeplessness, self-destructive actions, loss of appetite -- but if you do, see a licensed therapist or grief counselor.

Second, begin to introduce new actions and activities into your life. In the early stages, do not worry about finding a new vocation. Just begin to act. You may want to keep a journal or embark on a creativity program, such as The Artist's Way. You may enter a temporary setting, such as the Peace Corps or a university degree program.

Third, honor what you lost. A part of you will always reside there. A dancer-turned-business-student uses the discipline or dance to excel in her studies. A teacher-turned-flight attendant can handle restless passengers.

Fourth, realize you have a wonderful gift: the capacity to find meaning in life and work. Begin working towards a new future, realizing that one day you will be caught up in a new adventure.

Your new vocation will come as a surprise, perhaps when you give up looking. It won't be the same but you will feel rewarded, happy, fulfilled and stronger.

I offer one-to-one consultations on career strategy.

About The Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.

"Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com

Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294


MORE RESOURCES:

Careers at Prairie View A&M University - HR  Prairie View A&M University












Careers - Human Resources  Kennesaw State University







Careers  Boys & Girls Clubs of America


Careers  Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center


Careers  Micron

Industry sells workers on ag jobs  The Western Producer


Find a Job  Samaritan Health Services


Careers at Bucknell  Bucknell University



Career Paths  FEMA



Employment  USC Upstate

Veterans and transitioning military | VA Careers  VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs




Careers  Smith College Grécourt Gate


Careers at NATO  NATO HQ

Clemson Careers  Clemson University

Apply for a Job  The City of Vancouver, WA






Careers at USI  University of Southern Indiana

Careers  Medline Newsroom

Join our team  FHI 360

Work for Us (U.S  National Park Service

Careers  The Ocean Cleanup



Careers | US Forest Service  USDA Forest Service


Careers  Technip Energies




America Works Data Center  uschamber.com


Careers  CPKC


Work Here  UnitedHealth Group

Careers with Impact  IFC Press Releases










Jobs vacancies at the EMCDDA  European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)



Career Services  Wake Tech Newsroom

Careers with the Group  Volkswagen Group


Find a Role  Bain & Company


Jobs  Energy.gov

Careers  City of Somerville

Employment Opportunities  Unity Health Toronto



ADM Job Openings  Unlocking Nature. Enriching Life. | ADM


Careers & Employment  Pinellas County

City Jobs  charlottenc.gov

Find your next job at UC  University of Cincinnati


Current Job Openings  Pinellas County



Need More Information?
Site Home | Site Map | Links | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
© Career Consulting Limited.com 2011

tumblr visit counter