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Walking away after 25 years
I just accepted a voluntary leave package from my employer, and an going to seek another purpose in life. Had anyone done that? How did you get your feet of the ground? What resources did you use, and are you seeing results?
Kelley Shields, Career Happiness CoachWork shouldn't be a 4-letter word.
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06/16/20 at 8:15PM UTC
I'm a big, big fan of having a coach to help you through a change like this! You might just want to take some time and rest and relax first, but figuring out what you really want to do next can be hard, and there's no need to do it alone! A general life coach might be a good fit if you just want help with the transition away from work (I'm happy to offer suggestions if you want any). If you decide you are interested in reinventing yourself career-wise and moving into something that you can be really excited about, based on what you said, I think a coach named Louise Neil would be worth checking out. She's really great, and specializes in working with women who, like you, have spent 20+ years in their careers and now want to make a change. Her website is www.louiseneil.com
Trish Calles WilliamsContact Ctr Applications anlyst for maj airlne.
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06/17/20 at 4:29PM UTC
Thank you for that information!! I will start looking at all my options
Katie Henderson Ladyboss752675I am an expert in all things visual.
757
06/16/20 at 6:57PM UTC
I have experiened this. Yes it can be like a death, but fear not, it's also a rebirth. You have good advice and testimonials above, so I have nothing to add except, HAVE FUN WITH IT.
Anonymous
06/16/20 at 5:58PM UTC
Congratulations Trish, welcome to the club! I am in my redundancy paid period right now. After 23 years in one company, it's not so much about what I want to do (though that is changing too) but who I want to be. I have to redefine myself as someone not part of the 'Mother Ship.' It's a strange and liberating feeling.
When deciding what to do next, I thought about what I wanted to be as a child. I was fortunate to have my first dream career, which morphed beyond anything I expected back then. Now I am exploring my original backup plan: writing and editing. I'm a voracious reader and a wordie, wrote all the time at work, and edited documents for friends and colleagues. While I don't have a formal career history in this area, I certainly have plenty of experience.
I launched myself on Fiverr as a first step (fciwords, you can check out my profile for ideas if it seems to be relevant). Just getting going these past few days, so it's all new and exciting but not yet generating funds.
Think about your original 'when I grow up' dreams. Is there something there to help you?
HCaplan
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06/16/20 at 5:25PM UTC
Hi Trish! I quit my job in Corporate America after 25 years.
Reinventing yourself is no joke. It is harder than people can imagine but it gives you the opportunity to focus on YOU, and what you really WANT to do. Here are my 5 tips for your personal reinvention
:https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/author/holly-caplan
Beth CaldwellFounder of Leadership Academy for Women
572
06/16/20 at 5:10PM UTC
Trish, congratulations! What an exciting and frightening time for you. Many people have done this and are very happy and successful. If you don't know what you want to do yet, I suggest you make a list of all the things you NEVER want to do again. Then, look for resources in books, videos and podcasts. There are many women and men who have made big changes after 25+ years. You can be inspired and learn from them. Good luck!
Jackie GhedineCoach for Gen X Women | Jack Russell of Humans
5.81k
06/12/20 at 12:25PM UTC
Good For You, Trish!
I was in media and publishing for 22 years when I stepped off without knowing what I wanted to do, so I completely understand how you feel.
I gave myself space to explore what parts of my job fueled me, what drained me and what interests me and drives me.
Steer clear of concepts like finding my purpose, discovering my passion because those become weighty terms and sometimes, you don't know. Think of your next step as just that, a new chapter that you're excited to write but it may not be your last chapter, nor even a long one.
Wishing you the best of luck. I'm a Gen X women and I work with Gen X women, we have an amazing Facebook Community called, Just Gen X, The Resting Mind if you want to come over and join. We tackle a wide array of topics and a lot specifically about mid-career.
Goalsetter352065Inspiring Leaders to Make Time to Make Change.
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06/11/20 at 6:42PM UTC
I left my job after 30 years - best decision I have ever made but clearly there is some transition time needed for your mom. I decided to become a coach and that has been the best decision I have ever made. For your mom, I would start with what interests her - this is her time to do what she has always wanted to do (within reason of course :)).
Anonymous
06/11/20 at 6:07PM UTC
Congratulations on the change! I've been wanting to do the same - find a new purpose - for a while now. I've been in the same field for 25 years (I'm 57) and I've been exploring what I "really" want to do for a year or so now... I've taken a number of personality and behavioral assessments and have found out that my personal narrative of who I am may not be who I really am! Shocker! A motley assortment of tests - DiSC, Enneagram, VIA, Myers-Briggs, ONet.. Wishing you all luck!
Trish Calles WilliamsContact Ctr Applications anlyst for maj airlne.
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06/11/20 at 6:36PM UTC
Thanks! I’ll be 57 this year. Where did you take all those tests?
Lucinda Lechleider
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06/12/20 at 2:01PM UTC
online - many of them for free...ONET is on the Federal job search site. Via cost money...
Kirsten M TrammellCreative writer and freelance content creator
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06/11/20 at 5:11PM UTC
I walked away from a career after 8 years, so 25 is an even bigger deal. I found that by focusing on finding what I was excited to wake up and do every day was what brought me to a new, and more fulfilling purpose. If you already know what it is , that is great! If not, start experimenting in every way possible. Try new things as often as possible and find what you enjoy most. I think we so often we tie up who we are in what we do...and when you leave what you "do" that creates a domino effect of emotions and feeling ungrounded. I started asking myself the question: "What do I know to be true..." and it quickly helped me figure out what I KNOW I wanted to do.
Sweet Caroline
4.25k
06/11/20 at 4:07PM UTC
My mother was in your shoes a year ago, she explains it was a little like a death. First came disbelief then anger, grief and other emotions. It took her a year to find herself again without the identity her job brought. She has embraced gardening again and before the pandemic, had expanded her social circle to lunch with friends something she couldn't do when working.
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