4 Common Mistakes While Planning A Career Change

Written by: Anna Krzysztoszek, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

We are more alike than we think. In times of necessary or longed-for change, we humans tend to stumble over similar hurdles that may slow down our professional transformation. Here are 4 examples of common misesteems and some helpful questions and thoughts on how to overcome them.

1. I do you

We often assume there is one common recipe regarding how to be happy or successful in our lives or jobs. During group workshops, it becomes clear how different our definitions of success and happiness can be. Only you can decide what is best for you even though you may have a ton of friends who may have similar personality traits, and talents or live in similar life circumstances. Check the following topics before duplicating somebodies recipe for a successful career change:

• Personality traits

Do you prefer to work alone or in a team? Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Are you detail-oriented or a born strategist? You get the point. It is great to get some inspiration from others but it is even better to work out a customized career plan, which fits like a glove. It helps to avoid disappointment in the future.

• Obligations

How much time do you have for a new course, training, or workshop? Which current obligations can be organized differently or downsized? Are there more similarities between the person you are inspired by or more differences as far as the number of obligations and must-have tasks are concerned? How could a daily, weekly, and monthly routine be organized to support your career change more effectively?

• External support

Before being too demanding towards yourself, check what kind of support somebody has – from their spouse, family members, etc. How can you prepare the best possible support system for yourself while heading for a change? Do you need a weekly regular brainstorming with a friend or is it necessary to hire a nanny once a week so you can have more time for yourself?

2. I cannot imagine it, so it doesn’t exist

The majority of us are experts in planning the future based on experience. What if we do not have all the necessary information related to a possibly interesting job profile? Instead of dropping an exciting idea, try to do some research first and collect some new experiences linked to it. For example, get in touch with professionals who are already doing this job. Before quitting a possibly good idea, get out of your head and do a reality check.

3. Painful what-ifs

All possible catastrophic scenarios might be created in your head while planning a professional change. Are those horror scenarios realistic or are they an expression of fear related to leaving your comfort zone? Cross-check with a friend if they have a similar view on all the possible things which might go wrong.

4. Sense of urgency

After some years of holding back, we might feel impatient. Pushing yourself too much may not lead to a positive change and be more stressful than fulfilling. Brake down your big vision into short-, mid-, and long-term goals and enjoy the ride. After all, the implementation of some changes might take years, so why not make a great adventure out of it?

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Anna Krzysztoszek, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Anna Krzysztoszek has more than 20 years of international experience in business ‒ from large corporations to start-ups. She is the owner of Green Butterfly ‒ Coaching & Recruiting. The completion of her German and Dutch studies, her pedagogical education, the certificate of a Psychological Advisor and various business degrees, such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), reflect Anna's main focus and passion: combining her economical expertise with the always present interest in people and the art of making the best of our lives. This especially applies to professional matters ‒ after all, we spend a third of our life at our workplace.