Planning a Career Change - Taking Those First Steps

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So it's almost the end of January and you have trudged your way through another month of work.  Or maybe your children have headed back to school and you are seriously thinking about what you want to do, now that time is a little more available.  Making the decision to retrain can be very easy, most people know what they want to do.  But the bravest part of the decision is to actually do something about it.  Taking that leap of faith onto a new path can be the scariest thing ever.  For me the scariest part was walking into a room full of strangers on the first day of my course.  The moment I stepped into that lecture room, amongst seventy other future radiographers I knew my decision to retrain was now very real.  Few of us knew anyone else, we were all in the same boat.  Some fresh from sixth forms around the country, some like me, changing career. Yet we all had one thing in common, we were all brand new first year students.

Making that decision to retrain is one of the best I have ever made.  Yet it wasn't easy and certainly didn't happen overnight.  I was cautious, I deliberated, I kept persuading myself that I was too old to retrain. Obviously the last statement is only relevant if I was trying to enter a career that only younger people were allowed.  I spent months considering what I wanted to do, what I could do.  Options were limited by finances and location.  With a large, young family I had no intention of relocating for the course that sounded the most exciting.  Neither could I afford to fund a more vocational course.  Brainstorming became a big part of life.  Sheets of paper were filled the ideas, some crazy, some doable.  This is the most vital part of your retraining plans.  These initial ideas will be insightful and don't be afraid to let your imagination run wild. Scribble down all the things you love to do, all the types of jobs you would like to consider.  Imagine you are in Class 2 again when Miss Smith asks 'what would you like to be when you grow up?'.  This initial stage of planning your future career is vital.  

So if you are considering retraining I urge you to sit down this weekend and brainstorm.  Get a large sheet of paper and start planning your future.  Stop talking, take that first leap because it is better to be scared than bored!

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

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