Transition Tales: A Desire for Growth
Achieving Goals, Career Discovery, Confidence, Overcoming Fear, Transition Tales
Welcome back to Transition Tales, where we hear the true stories behind people’s bold decisions to leave the comforts of work they know to pursue work they love.
Today we meet one of our clients from New Jersey who recently transitioned from insurance to a unique role within the construction and design industry. For him, nothing in his previous role was “wrong” per se, but it wasn’t a place where he was learning and growing and where he felt energized.
ALV: Why did you want to make this career transition?
TT: I was looking for a new challenge. Work became very stale. I was not putting any extra effort into it. I was disinterested in what I was doing. I was needing something new to grow personally and professionally.
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We hear this all of the time and are still shocked that many companies haven’t taken notice. Our satisfaction at work isn’t just related to the number on our paycheck or the games in the break room. We want opportunities to learn and grow. We want to be challenged.
For many, this can be a slow burn over time, especially when there isn’t something glaringly wrong. But feeling unfulfilled and uninspired can finally lead to a desire to make a change.
TT: I was looking for something new for a couple of years, and it never really seemed to be the right time to put the effort required to actually make a move. I spoke to a lot of people about my frustrations with being stuck where I was. I had a lot of positive conversations with helpful insight from people. At the end of the day, it came down to convincing myself the time to change was now.
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So. Much. Yes. He is spot on that at some point, to make a change it comes down to you deciding that you want this for yourself. We often wait for the perfect time or the final straw, but the perfect time rarely comes, and life doesn’t usually spell it out for us when it’s time to do something different. We just have to know in our hearts that we are capable of more and that we deserve it.
But it certainly doesn’t mean that the pathway to more and better will be easy or crystal clear.
ALV: How did you figure out what you wanted to do in your next role? Was it immediately clear to you?
TT: To be honest, I was not sure what I wanted to do in my next role. I was just certain that I needed something new. It wasn’t until I devoted the time and effort with the help of my coach to step out of my comfort zone and find something that I would really enjoy.
I found something that utilized my skills and would present new and exciting challenges. I had plenty of hesitations changing industries and changing my career; I just knew I was not happy and needed a change of scenery, and so far it’s been great.
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We’ve skipped right from feeling unsatisfied in his current role to enjoying his new one. But the transition process wasn’t that quick or painless. He casually applied and interviewed for roles for years before working with ALV and finding the right opportunity.
When you are deep into the process, it can be stressful and intimidating. Especially for people who are modest and feel uncomfortable selling themselves which is what interviewing really is about.
TT: I went on a bunch of interviews over the few years I was looking for a change in careers. Once I started working with my coach, the entire process took several months. There were times when it was overwhelming and stressful; however, for the most part I was excited for a change.
Talking with my coach helped with the stress of a transition. There were plenty of times prior to working with ALV that I would get depressed and frustrated about my current work situation and this would result lack of motivation necessary to make a change. While working with ALV I was overall positive and optimistic which helped me put in the necessary work to finally make a change.
I always felt overwhelmed and hated the process of interviewing. I had a hard time trying to highlight the things I did at work when I didn’t believe in the work I was doing myself. However, through the help of coaching and practice, interviewing became a little less overwhelming, and I was able to realize the worst thing that could happen was I didn’t get the job.
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It is so easy to psych ourselves out and over think the interview process. How can we not when we are constantly opening ourselves up to be evaluated by others? But the mental shift that took place from, “I hate this” to “What’s the worst that can happen?” was so critical to find calm and authenticity in the process. And to never forget that you are interviewing the company too.
ALV: What were you looking for in your new company and organizational culture?
TT: I was looking for a company I can grow with. I was looking forward to a change in scenery. The company I joined has a great culture with a lot of diversity, very hardworking and people genuinely enjoying what they do.
I hope to continue to engage in new challenges. I hope to not find myself disinterested in my work or lacking motivation. Always striving to grow and enjoying what I do.
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We can see throughout this story that coaching played a large part in his journey so let’s dig into it.
ALV: Why did you decide to work with an ALV coach? Who was your coach?
TT: I decided to work with an ALV coach because I needed help pushing myself for a change. My coach was Coach Teague and she was amazing. She was able to help me challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone. She helped me push myself. The discussions we had helped me greatly with things such as self discovery and reinforcement for my desire for something new. The coaching experience helped me hold myself accountable if I was going to go through with a change.
ALV: If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
TT: I would’ve signed up for ALV earlier.
ALV: Any final advice or inspiration to share with other career transitioners?
TT: I encourage other career transitioners to try new things, step out of their comfort zone and to not settle. ‘Get comfortable being uncomfortable’ – Lebron.
