What You Need to Know About Transitioning — Changing Occupations or Professions
By: Steven D. Carter
Tags: Change, Jobs, Career Change, Occupation

“We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore” — Andre Gide

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

More and more people are transitioning occupations, changing jobs, or moving into new professions. With the change of a new year, a new location, or new status we seek opportunities to start over, explore new opportunities, or seek career changes. This is a major transition for many. It is unfamiliar. In fact, it can be terrifying; however, you can create new and meaningful experiences while earning a living. Do not expect rainbows and sunshine in the modern business landscape. Sure, you can become successful, but you must strategically position yourself for your future.

A few simple mistakes could cause you considerable challenges that can sink your time and effort investments. Are you an aspiring entrepreneur who wishes to step foot in the business landscape? Are you seeking employment in the public sector? Are you seeking employment in the private sector? If the answer is yes to any of these options, you will need to prepare to adapt and evolve, from what you did to what you are going to do.

The Importance of Change

Success will be difficult without evolving into today’s business setting. Sure, some people get lucky, but you can only ride luck for so long. Every aspiring transitioning professional must gain expertise in their chosen field and acquire the knowledge, skills, or abilities to succeed within the ecosystem of their chosen field. The economic and social environments rarely remain the same and continue to change at a rapid pace.

Sure, there are external forces that are outside of our control, but there are a number of areas where we can focus to get the most out of our efforts. For those wondering about what we can do to get ahead in the business world, we can be resilient, more flexible, and most importantly, open to change. You must mentally prepare for rejection.

Staying Ahead by Being Responsive

It should be clear that people today have many options. It is a primary reason why people should focus on retaining their current social networks while building leads to new social networks. During the transition period, the last thing you want to do is lose a potential advocate for your cause. Fortunately, you can avoid this by affiliating with professional organizations, civic groups, or volunteer work.

Working with professional organizations, civic groups, and volunteer work can involve focusing on digitization like creating the organization's website or social media page, or being present at meetings or other forums. Doing so will maximize your exposure, provide organizational value, and help meet their organizational demands.

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

A New Working Environment Can be Challenging

Claiming that the private sector is similar to the public sector would not be a far stretch at all. Why? Because like the public sector, the private sector faces many of the same challenges. Customer demands, funding, regulations, marketing, and competition — it is all there if you look hard enough. These factors evolve, just like the environment around us, and when they do, you must be resilient and adapt to the conditions. Any professional who fails to react to uncertainty finds themselves in a difficult position and may struggle to find their place.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it” — Abraham Lincoln

Actionable Steps Transitioning Professionals Can Take to Succeed

While there is no limit to the number of ways you can succeed in your occupational or career transition, following the tips mentioned below is a must for short and long-term success.

1. Looking for Trends

Many professionals tend to follow the same ideologies and strategies for long periods. Sure, sticking to a game plan can be a good thing, but sometimes, it simply is not sufficient. As mentioned time and time again, you need to be open to change if things don’t go your way. Do not be so focused on one thing that you miss a better opportunity. Always keep an eye out for the changing professional trends and adapt to stay ahead.

2. Learning from Mistakes

Blaming external factors, events, and various events for your loss or setback is never the correct approach. Instead, it is better to conduct a self-assessment and rightfully link your setback to a lack of knowledge and experience. It will help you stay informed or current on the business landscape, this includes allowing yourself and your social networks to evolve.

3. Take Action

Mistakes happen, and they are a part of every successful transitioning professional's journey. However, what makes the transition successful is your ability to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Always take time to reflect on the actions, events, or statements that led to your setback and take action by working on strategies to avoid them again.

Photo by Jeremy Beadle on Unsplash

Final Thoughts

Transitioning professionals often focus on loss. The loss can be characterized as a loss of camaraderie, loss of status, loss of options, etc. However, you should focus on new opportunities, expanding social networks, and generating increased income and benefits.

“When one door closes another opens but all too often there is a long hallway in between” ―Rick Jarow