3 key questions to ask yourself during your career transition
Category: Tips and Advice
Publish date: 03/01/2023
For some people, a career change might be a particularly daunting prospect, while for others it’s an exciting opportunity to pursue something new – whether that's reinventing yourself in a new role, a new industry, or even undertaking your own entrepreneurial adventure – there is no ‘right’ way to feel about it. But before you get started, we strongly advise that you take time to ask yourself a few key questions:
1. Am I clear on what I want? Knowing what you want to do next and how to communicate that to others is no easy feat, but it can be done. If you aren’t clear about your next steps, no one else will be either. Take some time to discern who you are, what skills you possess, and where they might be of most value. I highly encourage you to take a step back and decide which skills and interests you'd like to play a part in your career moving forward, and then set up a conversation with your CTP Career Consultant to create a plan of action. If you’re unsure of which direction you’d like to take your career in, the Career Assessment activities in myCareerPath can help.
2. Do I have the network I need? Having worked in the military, chances are the majority of your professional network will be from the Armed Forces, which doesn’t always make for an easy transition into something new. Once you’ve decided where you’d like to take your career after leaving Service, you'll need to branch out and begin networking with professionals in that sphere if you want doors to start opening up. Good networking connections can help you build bridges into a new industry and secure those crucial conversations with key decision-makers.
3. Have I the finances available? This is especially relevant for those of you looking to become entrepreneurs. You’ll need to consider whether you have enough money to tide you over while you’re setting up your new business. If you feel like you may need a little extra time to get on your feet, you’ll want to think about 'bridging'. This is where you elect to work outside of your chosen profession just for a short while to ensure you have everything in place for the big launch. It won’t be a permanent move and could even be in a part-time capacity – whatever your circumstances require. But it’s important to know that bridging takes the stress out of not having enough resources while you work on your reinvention, and definitely isn't something to be ashamed of.
If you’re looking for advice and support on improving your networking strategies or setting up a business, I’d urge you to give our LinkedIn & online networking resettlement guide a read, as well as attending our self-employment awareness workshop. The COBRA resource available in myPlan can then provide additional insight into what it takes to set up and run your own business.