Consultants and coaches constantly urge us to, “Focus! Stay with one project at a time. Don’t get distracted.”

Usually that’s good advice.

But during a career change,  it makes sense to run on two tracks. And sometimes you have no choice.

(1) Exploring a new career or business?

During the exploration phase of career change, I recommend keeping several irons in the fire. You might be considering careers in marketing or consulting – and wondering if you should return to school to become a lawyer or librarian.

Following one trail to the end may take weeks, even months. If you arrive at a dead end, you’ll have nothing to show for your efforts.

So make career search your priority and focus your efforts in this direction. But you’ll probably have to juggle two or three specific searches.

(2) Natural multi-tasker?

Some people need to jump back and forth between activities to keep from getting bored and restless. Often gifted and creative clients report this pattern.

If you’re getting things done, you may have found your natural work style. But if you have half a dozen half-finished projects, you need to raise a red flag.

Once again, think priorities. Are you spending most of your time on your most important projects? Or do you get distracted by non-essentials?

For instance, if you’re just starting a new business, you may work on multiple projects, but all serve your main goal of getting yourself established in the market. And if you’re in the middle of a career change, choose a path that supports your preferred working style.

(3) Job requirements?

Some careers require multi-tasking. Within one week, a college professor might (a) teach an introductory overview course, (b) lead a graduate seminar on a narrow topic, (c) design a research experiment, (d) revise a paper for a journal, (e) give a talk to a community group and (f) participate in committees to recommend procedural changes. And they’re also advising students, planning next semester’s class and…well, you get the idea.

Similarly, a lawyer may supervise interns, teach a class, appear in court, take a deposition and conduct research.

If you thrive on variety and can keep a dozen balls in the air, you’ll love these careers. But if you need to focus on one project at a time, you may find yourself on the road to a new job. I know some professors who couldn’t teach an introductory course in the morning and then conduct serious research in the afternoon. They tended to leave the profession.

Bottom Line: Choose a way to use your skills to support your preferred style. Look up every so often to see if your style is working – based on what you’re accomplishing, not on what “everyone else” is doing.

Q. I hate my job as a computer consultant.
I am ready for a career change. The aptitude tests say I should be a recreation specialist. I like the idea but I dread returning to school for a new degree.

A. Before you invest in a degree, try out the career change. Take a test drive. Find two or three people who are doing what you want to do and ask to spend a day or a week with them.

If you’re still interested, visit a few schools or universities that offer degrees in your area of interest. Ask for names of people who have graduated one, three and five years ago.

Ask the alumni, “Did this degree help you get your job? Advance in your job?
“Would you have done better with a degree from another school? Or would you have done as well with a degree from a lower-ranked school?”

Ask students, not faculty. Professors must support their own programs, even when they want to say, “You can do better elsewhere,” or, “This program is a waste of your time and money.”
And these days, anyone with a title like “Admissions Director” or “Enrollment Management” may be trying to make a sale, not offer objective guidance.

If you believe your new career requires you to quit your job and begin a full-time degree program, investigate alternatives. You may find an equally satisfying career that offers on-the-job training.

No degree program offers a magic bullet. Ultimately you may win the job and career success by your power networking as well as you social, interpersonal and technical skills.

Don’t like one option? Try another. There are many paths to career fulfillment, not just one. There is no way for a single career coach, consultant or counselor to know the ins and outs of every career. You should be guided through an exploratory phase, not steered in one direction.

Every so often someone posts a note to a forum: “I just quit my job today! I am confident I can replace my income quickly.” Inevitably, coaches and business owners jump in and cheer.

Often these new business owners find they do really well. They quickly find a market and make money. But at other times, they stumble. They fail to make money and can’t return to a job they liked as much as the one they left.

So … what are the guidelines?

(1) Know your own risk profile.

Some people sleep well when they owe hundreds of thousands of dollars. Others can’t sleep when their income drops below hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Some people soar when they cut all ties.

“I deliberately made myself unemployable,” said one brilliantly successful entrepreneur. “That was my motivation.”

Some people freeze like deer in the headlights when they lose their anchoring income. They feel more comfortable when there’s a safety net, the way drivers can go faster when there’s a guard rail to protect them from falling down the side of the road.

(2) If you are starting a business, get some traction and solid evidence that you have a market for what you offer before you quit your job.

It’s better to have $300 a month coming in steadily than $3000 one month and nothing the next. You can build on a foundation of consistent income, even if you totally change your business model.

Don’t let anyone tell you, “You can always go back to a job.” Terrific jobs don’t come along every day.
A field can change overnight. When I got my Ph.D., we had 5 or 6 jobs for every graduate. Five years later, the situation was reversed: we had 5 or 6 graduates for every job.

(3) Make sure you have at least 6 months earnings saved (a year is better). You will need money to get started. I’ve had people tell me they can’t afford a $97 course even though they know that course contains information they need. If you’re in that situation, you can’t be in business.

(4) Review your own background. In my experience, if you’ve done any kind of selling you have a greater chance of entrepreneurial success than if you do anything else. If you have strong people skills, you’re also in great shape (even if you work on the Internet). Corporate executives and military officers often do well because they have discipline and know how to function in a system.

(5) Test your entrepreneurial mindset. For instance:

– You pay for everything, from postage stamps to mentoring Barter usually backfires.

– You make things happen; you don’t get assignments.

– You have to be persistent; it’s no accident that some business owners are described as “driven.”

(6) Take everyone’s success story with a big grain of salt. I love stories like, “I didn’t have any money so I maxed out my credit card to get into a $10,000 training program. Now I’m becoming a millionaire.” Maybe they did, but there’s probably an X factor they’re not telling you.

(7) Spend prudently and know where to invest your dollars.

You don’t need a big, expensive website to get started (although you do need a website). You don’t need a lot of fancy furniture. But if you have people coming to you, you’ll need a clean, pleasant office where they can feel safe. I once knew someone who quit to start her lifelong dream of owning a restaurant, but couldn’t afford a prime location.

If you’d like to talk about your own next step, I’d be happy to work with you. Please visit
http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/careerstrategysession.html

Recently I came across an article on a site that looked extremely reputable. The site promised to include tips for midlife career change, but in fact the article is misleading and even dangerous.

First, I don’t recommend following any guidance for “best job” or “hot jobs.” By the time you read about them, they won’t be hot anymore. You may not be suited to them. Anyway, some of these claims are simply inaccurate.

Here are just 2 examples of what was included in an article on the site:

Bad piece of career change advice #1: “Be a teacher.” The site wrote that if you have a degree, you only need “minimal” classes in education.

That’s simply not true. You need a minimum number of education classes to teach in public schools in the US. You may not need any education classes for private high schools. What’s minimal?

College professors rarely take courses in education or pedagogy. In California (and maybe other states) you get a junior college credential; I got mine a few years ago just by teaching, although things may have changed. These days, jobs in college teaching are highly competitive, and it’s not always easy to get any teaching job, depending on the district.

Bad piece of career change advice #2: “Just stop practicing “your occupation” and start advising others on how to succeed.”

Sure, starting a business is a good idea these days – but it’s not that easy. You need a plan, evidence that people want what you have and a way to reach your target audience.

If you’re in your forties and physically fit, you may be surprised to learn that you can make a career change to being a flight attendant or police officer. I’ve met people in their forties who have made those transitions successfully. Again, a lot depends on the specific places you target for employment.

What to do instead? Get information from real people. Ask at least six people in the field you’re considering: “How did you get here? What works? What would you advise me?”

I offer consulting to private clients. If you’re considering a career tune-up, click here to learn more.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Cold hands, warm heart.” It’s a nonsense thing people say when you shake hands and yours are cold.

When it comes to midlife career change, I’d add a comment: “Cold feet = empty wallet.”

After years of working with mid-life professionals and executives seeking a career change (and handling my own career changes along the way), I’ve begun to sense when someone will really change careers and when they just want to talk about it. A big clue is what they say when they call me.

Someone who is committed to finding a new career will ask a few questions and make a decision fast. Usually I hear within a few days. They don’t call back with a list of new questions. They are willing to take a chance. They are ready to take action and follow suggestions that may seem counter-intuitive.

And they don’t wait for me to fire them up. They take initiative beyond what I suggest and keep coming up with new ideas.

Those who are not committed to changing careers will express doubts before we begin. They want to know every detail of the coaching process. They say, “If I work with you, are you sure I will get results?” And they may even say, “I haven’t done anything yet; I was waiting for a coach to tell me what to do.”

To be honest, this advice is somewhat self-serving as the first group is infinitely easier to work with. They’re also more likely to appreciate what I do. They read between the lines of our conversation and they trust their intuition.

However, I can find logical explanations for the success of the first group.

First,  successful career changers realize they’re in free fall. There’s no guarantee of a soft landing, no matter what they do or who they work with.

If you’ve been following me awhile, you know I like to draw a parallel with sports. Corporate career success is like pro football. it’s all about following the rules and being in the right place at the right time. Career change is more like playground basketball. You have to be comfortable playing without rules. If you need referees, lines and tradition, you’ll have trouble here.

Second, many years ago, psychiatrist Alan Wheelis wrote a book called How People Change. He wrote that people who change will do so with or without a therapist. If they depend on the therapy for change, he says, the process will crash under the heavy pressure. A coach, counselor or consultant can help but they help most when you decide you’re going to make things work no matter what.

Are my services right for you? I don’t know. But they’re definitely not right if you want lots of assurance and a gilt-edged guarantee.  No reputable consultant will promise results, let alone guarantee outcomes. Your sessions are like raw material; it’s up to you to decide how they will turnout. You can learn about my services at http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/services.html

You tell yourself you need a career change. Maybe you’re forced out by a layoff or your industry has moved in a new direction, where they’re going east and you’re facing west or vice versa. Or maybe you just wake up every day, thinking, “I absolutely DREAD going to work.”

The most common ways I’ve seen clients sabotage their moves are crawling when you need to run, flying when you need to take a bus, and going native when you’re supposed to be a tourist.

Crawling When You Need To Run:

When you’re making a career move, time operates like a 747 flying over the wide expanse of a prairie. You feel like you’re not moving but in fact you’re plunging ahead at 600 mph. If you aren’t aware of your speed, you make mistakes and crash.

Some career changers take charge of their future as soon as they feel a quiet inkling. Others ignore the warning signs till they feel the pain: emotional stress, layoffs or financial loss.

Once you realize time has flown by, it’s easy to panic. You think, “Oh no! I’ve got to make up for the past 6 months (or 2 years … or 5 years) right now.” So you start …

Flying When You Need To Take A Bus:

When you’re feeling under extreme pressure, it’s easy to reach for short cuts and work arounds.

Sometimes that’s a good idea: you turn the corner and unexpectedly find a doorway to your dream.

But flying off (literally or metaphorically) comes with hazards too. I’ve seen frustrated workers move to a small town because they anticipate living cheaply. Or they move to a bigger city, anticipating more opportunities.

Sometimes these moves work miraculously; at other times, you’ve taken 2 steps back instead of 1 leap forward.

Even worse, it’s easy to sign up for one of those expensive programs that promise to find you a job, tell you exactly what you should do with your life, introduce you to prospective employers, or help you get a job overseas. I’m safe in saying, “These services will take your money and leave you stranded at least 99% of the time.”

Going Native:

You know you need time to find your dream career (or at least a job you won’t hate so much). So you take a job to pay the bills. It seems sensible and, frankly, it is.

There’s just one problem.

Temporary day jobs ultimately will drive you nuts and drain your energies. I’ve met so many people who took a job “just to tide me over.”

They were tired after a day of work. So they said, “OK, just today I will relax and watch some television.”

A few months later: “This job isn’t so bad.”

That’s like visiting a country as a tourist or anthropologist. It’s fun to visit so you decide to stay and live like the locals. You may find a new home and never want to leave. But if you do want to return, you’ve got a hard road ahead.

Sometimes you start a day job and realize you’ve stumbled into a career you actually enjoy. I just met a dog-walker who told me, “I make more money now than I did as a teacher. And I had a masters degree.”

Sometimes you enjoy the career while you’re young and energetic. Serving up burgers and fries can feel like a lark … until it doesn’t. Working as an adjunct professor can be challenging … until the years go by with no salary increase and no opportunities when your college faces cutbacks.

It’s all to easy to get detoured by company passions and politics. You get involved with projects that don’t deserve your attention. You turn down a job with breakthrough potential because, “It’s not exactly what I want.”

Almost always, it is better to have a job than not have one. In some ways, it’s harder to manage an interim job. The key is to do just enough to get by. Get known for being friendly and cooperative. And never forget you’re a tourist, not a resident.

Want to assess where you are and get some new ideas? Sign up for a Midlife Career Strategy Session.

Yesterday’s New York Times included an article on midlife career change. The guest author is an attorney who “switched” from being a prosecutor, working for the state, to being a defense lawyer in a private law firm. He is quite candid about his reasons: he wanted more money and a better work-life balance.

This type of midlife career switch isn’t really uncommon. I can see the advantage of hiring a former prosecutor as a defense attorney, because she would know how the other side thinks.

The author shared some stories about his friends who made career changes. My favorite quote is:

“A friend of mine went from working in counterintelligence for the military to working in the real estate field. In his last job, he checked government buildings for recording devices and worked long periods alone. As a real estate agent, he shows houses to prospective buyers and constantly interacts with the public.”

It’s helpful to read about career changes, even if they seem far removed from our own. We get a handle on what motivates people to make these changes and we realize that it’s not impossible or far-fetched to dream of a new life. We can also get creative ideas about the kinds of changes that people make. Sometimes they build on what went before and sometimes they seem to be heading in a totally new direction.

If you don’t know anyone who’s been through a career change, and you want an objective sounding board, you may want to consider hiring a coach or consultant. To learn about my career change services, visit http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/services.html

In the last post we looked at 5 mistakes from an article in Monster.com. Read the original article here.

Tip #6 was,”Don’t Keep Your Dissatisfaction to Yourself or Try to Make the Switch Alone.”

This tip is on the right track. They make a good point: don’t talk to your boss “just yet.” I’d say, keep your boss out of the loop on this one! Be very careful about talking to friends and family. Most of them will put you down and many will say things like, “It’s just a job – what’s the big deal?”

Here’s where a lot of people (including the author of this article) confuse job search with career change. they say, “Friends, family and colleagues need to know what’s going on so they can help you tap into that large percentage of jobs that aren’t advertised.”

That’s true – if you are looking for a new job. But for career change, this step is premature. You need to tap into sources for informational interviews and fact-finding. These days, you need contacts. The halcyon days of the Parachute book are long gone. you won’t find many bored executives who are eager to talk to strangers.

Most people won’t take your call unless you come with a recommendation: “Anne Jones gave me your name.” If possible, get Anne Jones to call ahead so you won’t come as a surprise out of nowhere.

And here’s a key point of etiquette. If Anne says, “I see you’re interested in information technology. I don’t know IT people but I know someone in information science who uses IT in a library. Would you like to talk to her?”

Your answer should be, “Yes – I really would!” Then you absolutely, positively follow up with a call. If Anne’s gone to the trouble to set something up, you need to make those calls, even if you are 99% sure you are not interested. Almost always, if you have a good script for informational interviews, you will get information that will prove useful in unexpected ways.”

Tip #7 reads, “Don’t Go Back to School Unless You’ve Done Some Test-Drives in the New Field.”

Generally I would agree. However, be aware that internships (which I don’t recommend for mid-career executives) and volunteer jobs won’t give you an accurate perspective on life as a paid professional. You can do some rehearsing, shadowing and interviewing.

I would suggest doing a ton of research on programs before investing significant time and money. My report on “Back To School For A Mid-career Transition,” focuses on MBA programs but has advice anyone can use. Get it here.

Tip #8 recommends, “Be Careful When Using Placement Agencies or Search Firms.”

Chances are you won’t find a reputable firm to place you in a new field. Additionally you’ll need to do some research to be sure you’re working with a reputable firm. Getting your resume submitted by the “wrong” firm will block you from employment, no matter what.

Tip #9 is good: “Don’t Expect a Career Counselor to Tell You Which Field to Enter.”

These days you’re more likely to see a career coach or consultant than a counselor. Here the advice is sound: “Career counselors are facilitators, and they’ll follow your lead. They can help ferret out your long-buried dreams and talents, but you’ll have to do the research and the decision making by yourself. Anyone who promises to tell you what to do is dangerous.”

And I echo Tip #10: “Don’t Expect to Switch Overnight.”

These authors say, “A thorough career change usually will take a minimum of six months to pull off, and the time frequently stretches to a year or more.”

A year? More like 3 years! so many of my clients call because a spouse said, “It’s been six months. Haven’t you figured things out by now?”

Not hardly!

I offer services to help but, as we said earlier, don’t expect me to do more than facilitate.
Visit my services page to learn more.

One of the monster.com sites came up with these tips – 5 worst career change mistakes. Read the article here.

Here’s my take on these mistakes (which are actually written up as tips and warnings, but that’s another story):

They advise, “Don’t Look for a Job in Another Field Without Some Intense Introspection.”

Well, I don’t know what “intense introspection” is, but I’ve seen more people make a mistake the other way. Most people get so hung up on navel-gazing that they never get around to searching for info, let alone taking action steps.

Often you don’t realize you need something till you see it … or till it’s gone.

Second, they advise, “Don’t Look for Hot Fields Unless They’re a Good Fit for You.”

That’s actually good advice. They refer to fitting yourself into the right job; I’d add that there’s no such thing as a “hot” field. You can’t believe everything you read in the papers.

Similarly, they advise, “Don’t Go into a Field Because Your Friend Is Doing Well in It.”

That one’s easy: you are not your friend. Even if you have similar profiles, likes, interests, etc., you enter the field at different times with different opportunities.

Fourth, they advise, “Don’t Stick to Possibilities You Already Know About.” VERY true. I get SO frustrated when I work with clients who refuse to explore an idea I suggest to them. Of course the idea may be all wrong for them, but just the act of exploration will change you and introduce you to new possibilities.

However, I don’t recommend self-assessment “exercises” and testing. Have fun with them but let experience be your guide.

Fifth, the article says, “Don’t Let Money Be the Deciding Factor.”

Generally I agree. I’ve found that people who take pay cuts often catch up to their old salaries. They also spend less on things they used to use to relieve their stress – everything from medication to therapy to eating out.

But you have to know yourself. Living on a lower income also causes stress, especially if you have a family. How do you tell your child there’s no money to pay the vet to keep the family dog alive? How do you deal with lower health care quality? Should your kids give up music lessons?

These points are the first five mentioned in the article. i’ll continue this discussion in the next post. To get more ideas on career change, download my FREE guide here.

If you are thinking of changing careers, you’ll probably get advice along these lines.

1 – Review your history. What have you done well? What do you get praised for doing?
2 – What are you passionate about?
3 – What would you do if you won the lottery?

and (my favorite): What do you want your survivors to write on your tombstone? Mine will probably say, “She was more lucky than good.” But that’s another post.

Here’s an alternative approach.

To find your new career, look outside your career. What do you do when you have free time? What do you always make time for?

If you’ve been working a long time at a time-consuming career, you probably don’t have a strong inventory of things you really like. Your challenge is to find things to do beyond work. The first time you do this, you may be challenged and you may make mistakes … well, not mistakes, but you won’t make the best use of your time.

For instance, I was totally caught up in my academic career for many years. I loved research. I usually liked teaching (except when the students told me they should get an “A” because they paid tuition – yes – they really do that). I read mysteries and went to the gym. Sometimes I toured art museums. I went to the ballet.

What’s wrong with that?

Well, except for the gym, my activities didn’t really get me involved. I didn’t “engage,” the hot new buzzword. I didn’t use different parts of my brain. For instance, I was writing all day so what did I do? Take a writing course!

Fast forward a year when I took off from working. I started learning about music and taking pottery classes. Now, when it comes to pottery, nobody’s worse than I am. Years after that first course, my creations still look like something a third grader would turn out. But I’ve learned that working with clay seems to activate certain parts of my brain. I’ve always been un-handy; most of my do-it-yourself projects ended up in splinters. I’m much more confident at using my hands now.

Since then I started taking improv classes. I’m an experienced, capable speaker, but improv is a whole new way of relating to an audience. I’m taking sketch writing which is more about comedy than writing.

So here’s what I’ve concluded. If you’re ready for a career change, look outside your career. Find things to do that force you to engage with your environment in a new way. Include a physical component. Develop a skill that you didn’t have previously. Relate to people who are different from those you work with.

Don’t expect to feel good at first. One of the hazards of these projects is that you’re on a learning curve and it’s not always fun at the beginning. At some point you have to decide if you’re going to stick with it. I recommend at least finishing a course (if you are taking one) or a time commitment you’ve made to yourself. Sometimes you need to give up. I will never “get” cross-country skiing. Ever. That was a smart decision.

But awhile back I was ready to give up on my own pottery class. “I have no talent,” I said. (Nobody disagreed.) “I could be using this time for something else.”

But I kept up because (a) for me, pottery is like therapy but cheaper; and (b) I’d already paid for the course.

Suddenly I got a shift. My pots started looking almost good! I was so thrilled. People noticed. It was like I caught the spark.

The same thing happened with my sketch comedy. My first sketch was SO bad. Nobody even smiled. Everyone gave me that supportive, sympathetic look you don’t need when you’re trying to do something good.

But again the magic happened. We were assigned to rewrite the sketch. I went home and suddenly it hit me: I needed a new twist to transform this piece into something good. I caught fire and next time – it worked. I felt SO good.