ISSUE 24 DIGITAL EDITION JULY 2011
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Nisa Chitakasem, co-founder of career change specialists Position Ignition, illustrates why clarity is king when it comes to starting your new life and your new career... Life rather than just living PAGES PAGES12&13 12-14
Skills for justice launch PAGE 27
How To Find The Courage To Make A Career Change When it comes to career change, many of us feel that it’s too frightening to even contemplate for two main reasons: 1. It’s scary to leave the security of our current job and familiar world. 2. It’s scary to step into an entirely new world and start building up our new career from the bottom. Why is the thought of leaving our present lives behind
so overwhelming? We’ve grown accustomed to life as it is because it’s easy and comfortable, like a favourite pair of slippers. Why rock the boat when you may not have to? Life is secure and you get a regular wage. If you were to jot down 10 reasons not to change your career, it would take about a minute. A list of 10 reasons to make that change would not be longer, yet it would take longer to write.
Coming up with reasons to change will most likely be your starting point before you start working out what it is you’re actually trying to move onto. Compared to this next step, thinking of reasons to leave is actually the easy part. The secret to successfully navigating this next step is to recognize that it’s about being clear that you’ve decided to end your old life and getting clear about what you want to do next. Once you’re clear on
both these points, you’ve reached the stage at which the courage to take the leap doesn’t seem like a big step at all. It’s why many people recognise they’re in the wrong place in their life and in their work. Such a small minority of people are clear about what they want to do. It’s hard work to get to the point at which you know. Some of us never get there.
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Funnily enough, once you do get clear, courage doesn’t come into it because you feel energized and your intention is so clear, it doesn’t feel like you’re doing something courageous at all. Career change doesn’t feel so scary after all at this point—it just feels right for you.
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Choices in higher education PAGES 20&21
About The Author
Nisa Chitakasem, cofounder of Career Change Specialists Position Ignition. She is passionate about making sure that serious professionals get the support they deserve in their career. www.positionignition. com. For more career advice articles read their career advice blog at www. positionignition.com/ blog
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Your Career career questions answered PAGES 30&31