Why Knowing You Need a Career Change Is Not Enough
Claudia Cubbage is known for her work in leadership and career development, particularly within education. She is the founder of RenewEd Ltd and is currently developing the RenewEd book series, drawing on over 25 years of school leadership experience.
Career change is often an unexpected journey, one that doesn't always start with clear ambition. Whether triggered by circumstances, redundancy, or a shift in priorities, navigating a career transition requires clarity, strategic thinking, and understanding of the personal and financial realities at play.
Career change is rarely a clean, planned decision. For many people, it does not begin with a clear ambition. It begins with circumstance.
The reality behind how careers actually start
Some people fall into their careers, a job after college, an opportunity that made sense at the time, or a role that gradually became a career. Others return to work after time away, raising a family, caring for loved ones, or taking a break that shifts perspective. For some, change is forced, redundancy, restructuring, or a role that no longer exists.
In each case, the starting point is different. Regardless of circumstances, the real challenge is moving beyond recognition of change to designing a path forward.
When the landscape shifts around you
What worked before does not always work now. Industries evolve, competition increases, and expectations change. Roles that once felt secure become uncertain, and skills that were once enough now need to be repositioned.
Suddenly, people find themselves needing to make decisions they were not prepared for, not just about what job to do next but about what direction to take.
When change is not your choice
For some professionals, a career change does not begin with a question, it begins with an outcome, redundancy, a contract not renewed, or a role removed.
In the UK, this is becoming a more familiar experience. As economic pressures increase, more people are finding themselves needing to act quickly, often with little time to prepare. This creates a very different starting point. Instead of exploring possibilities, people are managing urgency. Income needs to be maintained, stability needs to be restored, and decisions feel immediate.
At this point, the focus naturally shifts to speed, finding something, securing something, and moving forward as quickly as possible, and that is entirely understandable. But this is also where risk increases. Because decisions made under pressure are rarely made with full clarity.
Even in uncertain situations, the process remains the same, stabilize first, understand second, and move forward with intention.
The pressure to make the right move
For those navigating forced change, the challenge is not just about what comes next. It is about balancing immediate needs with longer-term direction.
Taking the first available role may solve the short-term problem, but without some level of reflection, it can recreate the same situation in a different form. This is where even a small pause can make a significant difference, not to delay action but to ensure that action is moving in a direction that makes sense.
The financial reality people do not talk about
One of the biggest unspoken concerns in career change is pay. People grow into their salaries over time, their lifestyle adjusts, and their responsibilities increase. Financial commitments become fixed. So when a career change becomes a possibility, the question is not just, "What do I want to do?" It becomes, "What can I afford to do?"
This is where many people hesitate, not because they lack ambition but because the risk feels too high.
The challenge of competing in a different space
For those who begin to explore change, another challenge quickly appears. They must navigate new sectors, roles, and expectations. They are entering new sectors, new roles, and new expectations. Suddenly, an experience that once felt strong begins to feel uncertain.
People question their relevance, compare themselves to others, and begin to doubt what they bring.
What actually creates movement
The shift does not come from pushing harder, it comes from stepping back, from understanding what experience you already have, how it translates beyond your current role, and where it holds value in a different context.
This is where direction begins to take shape, not as a perfect plan, but as something solid enough to move towards.
A different way to approach career change
Career change is often approached as a practical process, update a CV, apply for roles, and prepare for interviews. But that approach only works when the direction is already clear. When it is not, action alone leads to frustration.
Instead, the process needs to begin earlier, with structured thinking, with understanding, and with clarity about what fits and what does not.
What this looks like in practice
I recently worked with someone returning to work after a period of time away. They had experience, capability, and a strong work ethic, but they were unsure how to position themselves. They were also concerned about salary, they had previously earned well and were unsure how much they would need to compromise.
At first, they focused on applying, but nothing quite landed. The shift came when we stepped back. We looked at their experience differently, identified where their skills still held value, and explored realistic options that balanced both direction and financial needs.
From there, their approach changed. Applications became more targeted, confidence improved, and importantly, their expectations became clearer and more grounded.
They did not just find a role, they made a decision that made sense.
Why this matters now
Career paths are no longer linear. More people will change direction, re-enter the workforce, adapt to new sectors, and respond to unexpected change. The ability to navigate these moments is becoming essential, not just to secure a job but to build a career that remains sustainable over time.
Moving forward
This is the focus of my second book, RenewEd Career: How Coaching Provides Clarity and Direction. It explores how professionals navigate career change and career transition in a way that is both realistic and intentional.
To support its launch, the book will be available for free on Kindle for one day on 7 May. Recognizing the need for change is only the beginning of real progress. True progress comes from understanding and intentionally navigating what comes next.
If this resonates, you can find out more about my work as a career change coach, career transition coach, leadership coach, and headteacher coach at RenewEd Ltd. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn, where I regularly share insights on career change, leadership, and professional development.
To explore how coaching could support your next step, visit here.
Read more from Claudia Cubbage
Claudia Cubbage, Headteacher and Career Change Coach
Claudia Cubbage is a UK-based career change coach and headteacher coach specialising in sustainable leadership and purposeful transitions. After a decade as a headteacher and 30 years in education, including 25 years in senior leadership roles, she brings deep, practical insight into the realities of leadership. She supports headteachers and school leaders to lead effectively while balancing the demands of complex roles, alongside professionals from outside education navigating career change. She is the founder of RenewEd Ltd and the creator of the Compass framework, which underpins RenewEd Leadership coaching. Her work focuses on helping people lead and work in ways that are sustainable, values-led, and confidence-building.
