What It Really Takes to Change Your Career
Introduction:
Are you thinking about changing careers but afraid of what you might lose? If you have been in the same role for years, maybe decades, the idea of walking away can feel terrifying. After all, you have worked hard. You have built something. You are respected. People know you as the lawyer, the architect, or the senior manager.
So what happens when you are not that anymore?
Welcome to the quiet, tender space I call The In-Between. It is that moment where you know your current career no longer fits, but you are not yet sure what comes next. And it is where the real courage lives.
The Myth of Certainty
Here’s what I tell my clients again and again: you will not find certainty before you act. Clarity comes through taking the next step.
But I know letting go is not easy, especially after years in one career. Before you can move forward, you need to identify what you must carry with you into your next profession.
Is it a feeling of purpose, a way of working, a certain type of environment, or the core values that make work meaningful for you?
Most people hesitate because they are afraid of losing something specific, whether it is the sense of achievement, the type of relationships they have at work, or the impact they make.
When you clearly understand what that something is, your true why, you can find a new path where those essential elements are still present even if everything else changes.
That is how you move forward without losing yourself, by carrying your core values, your key motivations, and what truly energizes you into your next chapter.
Letting Go of the Medals
We carry our careers like medals. “I’m an architect.” “I’m a senior finance executive.” “I’m a teacher.”
But your job title is not your identity.
I should know. Before I became a coach, I trained as an architect. I loved it, until I didn’t. Letting go of that title was like breaking up with a version of myself. In doing so, I made space for a new version that felt more aligned, more real, and yes, more me.
Building the Bridge: From Past to Future
Career change does not mean starting from scratch. It means carrying your skills, values, and strengths forward in a new direction.
That is why I use tools like CliftonStrengths with my clients. When you see your patterns, your talents, your red thread, everything you have done starts to make sense. You realise you are not abandoning your experience. You are redesigning how it works for you.
✍️ Questions to Ask If You’re Ready to Start Over
Ask yourself:
What am I really afraid of, and what is more powerful than that fear?
What would make this transition feel successful in six months?
Can I stop saying “I am a [job]” and start saying “I am becoming…”?
Write your answers. Speak them out loud. That’s how change begins.
