How to Explore Other Career Options without Losing Your Job

Unemployment, overwhelm, disengagement, and reprioritization of what matters most professionally—these are just a few issues friends and clients have raised with me in recent weeks. For all kinds of reasons, 2020 has prompted many of us to pause and reflect. We’re wondering, we’re questioning—am I on the right professional path? Am I striving for an outcome I still care about?

Feeling uninspired doesn't mean you’ve chosen the wrong career; it simply means you’re hungry for change.

If this sentiment resonates, you may want to explore alternative careers. But how do you start the exploration without putting your current career at risk?

Today’s episode is all about how to explore other professional possibilities without having to formally step off the path you’re traveling.

Do some reconnaissance

So, you commute to your office—or basement—and your first thought of the day is “Ugh! This again?”

Maybe you’re just in a slump and you need to recharge. Maybe you’re burning out and in need of a digital detox. But it's possible you’re in need of a real change. Is there something you could imagine yourself doing with more passion and pleasure?

Time to start thinking. Who do you know (or have access to) who's already doing a version of that thing you think you'd be happier doing?

Maybe you’re handling account management for an agency but you’ve always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Teaching seems noble and purposeful, and you suspect you’d love to spend your days with actual children versus colleagues who often behave like children. You'd have to go back to school to get the credentials that would land you at the head of a classroom. That's no small commitment!

The answers may reveal a deeper layer of insight to help inform your decision.

So before you make the leap, first take a step. Try talking to some teachers about their experience of what they do. Be thoughtful in who you connect with. Talking to a first-year teacher whose rose-colored glasses are still on may leave you with an overly pink-hued picture of the reality. And conversely, someone a year away from retirement may just be fried. Choose someone whose perspective feels relevant to where you are in your journey. Then, ask questions that will bring legitimate insight.

Asking “Do you like what you do?” or “What’s your favorite thing...

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