I feel that I am behind in my field and that time goes by and I don't think I have the capabilities for something better, so even though I want to change my field I don't know which one or how to change it.

8 Comments

1. Grisel Scarantino, Career and Work-Life Fulfillment CoachSeptember 26,2023 at 7:06PM UTC

   It took a lot of courage for you to post this, and I'm glad you did. This is a tough place to be, mentally and emotionally (perhaps even financially). What sometimes happens to many of us is that we start off as young professionals taking jobs simply because they were there for the taking. But then we reach a certain point where we start asking ourselves whether we've set ourselves up to have a career. I may be way off base, but it sounds to me as though this is where you are right now. I encourage you to ask yourself whether you're in a field that you'd like to stay with, and if so, what would you like to do in that field. If the answer comes easily to you, then look into what kind of skills and qualifications you need to advance in that field. Chances are, you've already developed some valuable skills, and now it's a matter of building on those skills to help you grow. If you're not in a field you love and need more to help answer those important questions, consider working with a career coach. There are some out there (like me and others) who help people find out what they want to do with their career and then make those important pivots. If you don't already have them, I'd also encourage you to gain the support of mentors - professionals you know and admire. Have these conversations with them as well and let them be an additional source of support for you. Wishing you all the best. I hope you find the answers to your questions in the very near future.

2. Barb HansenSeptember 26,2023 at 7:25PM UTC

   I will second this commenters view on "What Color is your Parachut?" book. it is excellent and it helped me when I switched careers.

3. AnonymousSeptember 26,2023 at 7:42PM UTC

   Finding your path is the priority. It will inform your next steps.

   It takes soul searching and a lot of due diligence. Research job descriptions, job titles, industry pay ranges etc.

   Then match those with your education and experience then do some informational interviews and networking.

4. AnonymousSeptember 27,2023 at 1:41AM UTC

   "Behind" how? In the rat race?

   How are you judging yourself? Remember, workplace responsibilities are traditionally built on pyramids, but in the past 10-20 years there has been a trend toward "flattening the organizational curve." This means people in entry level jobs have to wait longer and longer to be promoted, and most will never be promoted.

   If you want to go into a field that pays better at the entry level, we can't tell you that.

5. AnonymousSeptember 27,2023 at 10:23AM UTC

   Imposter Syndrome self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals. Pause. Go towards joy, but know you do have capabilities.

6. AnonymousSeptember 27,2023 at 12:43PM UTC

   I've done three career pivots, one was major (completely different direction than the first), and the second two were refinements of the first. I started out in tech, made it all the way to senior management (VP level) but burned out after reaching a six-figure salary and traveling 3-4 days a week. After being laid off, I decided to go back to school for a master's degree, but this time it was for a call to ministry, so I started out in seminary. After a year in pulpit ministry as an associate pastor, both the church and I decided that wasn't where I was meant to be, so I did chaplain work as a resident and then in a hospice for about three years. My passion, however, was mission work, so after I was laid off from the hospice due to a drop in census, I spent a couple of years selling cars until I finally hit the dream job: doing case management at a non-profit social service agency. It wasn't pretty, and most of my transferrable skills were subtle people skills (empathy and negotiation being the ones that come to mind off the top of my head.) It wasn't until I was in that job for a year before I realized I finally found my dream job as a missionary, just doing the work in my own back yard instead of halfway around the world. The other thing not pretty was the pay difference, as ministry (at least the type I was called to do) does not pay nearly as well as the tech industry where I started. Downsizing your life significantly causes great hits to your self-esteem, your bank account, and your credit score, if you don't go into it with a plan. I didn't and paid dearly, but that was mostly because I was forced into it. Career pivots are also steeped in imposter syndrome, as another has suggested.

   I'm giving you a bit of my story, only to let you know that you are not in uncharted waters. There are people here who have been there and can help guide you. You just need to take stock of what you want, where you want to go, and most importantly what you might be willing to sacrifice to get there. Career pivots (even smaller ones) are not for the faint of heart, but the other side is usually a much better place. Especially if you are miserable, stuck, or significantly unhappy with where you are now and what you are doing. Have you looked into any continuing education to give you ideas? Talked to a therapist or a job coach? These are all good first steps to assess where you are and want to go.

7. GirlBossanova934974September 28,2023 at 12:48PM UTC

   Having been through a few career changes, my take is quite simple. There is not much room for self doubt when doing a career change. The best way to get there is join a few professional societies and go from there. Another incredibly valuable resource is YOUTUBE! YOUTUBE YOUTUBE! There are just tons of people out there giving out free job skills in the hope that you will sign up to their paid courses. I only wish we had such things 10-20 years ago If you feel you are being left behind in your career path, you guessed it. YOUTUBE. I listen to at least 5 free Youtube shows per week in my field. All of it, free. Paid courses are just a click away. One can shop around and get great deals. It is all about investing in yourself because companies these days just don't care to train anyone these days. To that effect, I have had 11 job interviews in 3 weeks. The stuff on my resume was greatly enhanced by my Youtube related skillsets that I either added to or started up.

8. Yana MyaskovskayaSeptember 28,2023 at 6:00PM UTC

   One of the most helpful things for me in guiding my rather unconventional career path was understanding the difference between an absolute advantage and a comparative advantage.

   An absolute advantage is, simply put, something you do better that 99% of the general population. You might be a strong visual artist, for example, making intricate drawings and paintings.

   Your comparative advantage, however, is what you're better at than the majority of people AND what has a strong demand in the marketplace. Often, overlooked "softer" skills like being able to negotiate, communicate between disparate groups of people on a project, etc. are comparative advantages that companies are willing to pay a lot for.

   Now, you can decide what you want out of your job. Do you want to do something you absolutely love, which might come at the expense of making a livable salary? In the artist example, only a tiny fraction of artists make a successful living doing so, and so for many people (myself included, btw – I started my career in the museum curatorial world), this might not bring them the financial security they want. But maybe you don't need that, and so you can lean into your passions.

   However, you can still have a rewarding and fulfilling career leaning into your comparative advantage skills. The good news is that these are really translatable across industries – if you're a strong communicator with at least a basic comprehension of technology, for example, there are many roles that rely on this and pay well for it.

   I ended up pivoting from computer sales and support (college job) to museum curatorial work, to major gifts fundraising, then to customer success in tech (6-figure salaries and lots of upward mobility – I was in a VP role after 6 years), and then bringing these two together to work as a Director of Digital and Strategy for a nonprofit. I'm 36, by the way, so I've leaned in heavily into the idea of pivoting career-wise.

   My biggest recommendation is to write out everything you think you'd like to do and then reach out to folks about their roles. I recently thought I might go into a more technical direction and just reached out to technical architects cold on LinkedIn. Most people are flattered that you want to talk about them and I had lots of individuals to chat with about the role, day-to-day, how they got the position, etc. It was super valuable, and not enough folks take advantage of these opportunities.

   Best of luck to you!