Career Transitions

Career(kəˈri(ə)r) Transitions(-ˈsiSHən,tranˈziSHən)

By Steve Pavlina

I’ve been in the fortunate(ˈfôrCHənət) position(pəˈziSHən) of watching a lot of people undergo career transitions during the past several years, myself included. I’ve noticed a very simple recurring(riˈkər) pattern that I’d like to share with you. This pattern is so common you could almost call it a rule.

During the pre-commitment(pri kəˈmitmənt) phase(fāz), when people consider making a major career change, they usually focus on the problems and obstacles(ˈäbstəkəl) in front of them. How will I support myself and my family? How can I justify(ˈjəstəˌfī) abandoning my progress in my current line of work? What if I make the switch, and it doesn’t work out?

This focus on obstacles doesn’t help people transition. It only paralyzes(ˈparəˌlīz) them and keeps them stuck. But pretty(ˈpritē) much everyone has to deal with this phase.

In truth everyone who makes a career move has to deal with obstacles. The specifics(spəˈsifik) are different for everyone(ˈevrēˌwən), but the general patterns are extremely(ikˈstrēmlē) similar: attachment to the old career and its perks(pərk), concern(kənˈsərn) about the uncertainties(ˌənˈsərtntē) ahead, social and family resistance(riˈzistəns), lack of money to navigate(ˈnaviˌgāt) the transition period(ˈpi(ə)rēəd), having to take a pay cut, cascading(kasˈkād) changes like moving to a new city, etc. If you’re considering a career transition yourself, it’s unlikely your obstacles are unique.

So what determines(diˈtərmin) who actually commits to the transition vs.(-səz,ˈvərsəs) who remains stuck? I’ll tell you it has nothing to do with the size or nature of the specific obstacles. People with every advantage(ədˈvantij), including money in the bank and abundant family support, stay stuck all the time, while those who seem to have the odds(ädz) stacked(stakt) against them proceed(prō-,prəˈsēd) as if the obstacles weren’t even there.

The difference, in my opinion(əˈpinyən), is that those who successfully transition see themselves as more than capable(ˈkāpəbəl) of overcoming the obstacles in their path. Their internal resources like focus, desire(dəˈzī(ə)r), and self-discipline(ˈdisəplin) compensate(ˈkämpənˌsāt) for their lack of external resources. If they need more money than they have, they find other ways to get what they need. If their families don’t support them, they say, “Too bad, I’m doing this with or without your help.” If they have to take a pay cut, they find a way to live more cheaply(CHēp) and eat lots of rice(rīs).

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https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/12/career-transitions/