Have you ever met people who just seem to choose to pursue a new career and, lo and behold, what seems like a mere few months later, they are doing it?

And I’m not talking about a graduated sort of career or job change, such as an assistant accountant becoming an accountant, for instance.

In fact there would be some people who couldn’t discern the slightest difference between the two roles, including possibly, even the former assistant accountant, until of course they saw their first payslip as a full blown accountant!

It was something I was thinking about the other day after meeting a, now former, accountant who had decided she wanted to become an article writer.

And six short months after making the decision, she was doing it, that is writing for newspapers, magazines, and even websites, and making a living at the same time.

While her current income is greatly reduced, compared to that of her previous job, at the rate she is going, I dare say in another six months she will be making more than she ever did as an accountant!

When I asked how she did it, that is made quite a significant career shift in a relatively short space of time, she simply answered, “because I wanted to do it.”

And I think much of her success has to do with her attitude. Because I wanted to.

It also made me think about a few of the jobs I had during my early days in the working world.

At first I worked as a bank teller. That was a big mistake, since I just didn’t have the necessary customer service ethic, despite the best “efforts” of the then branch manager to try and instill that in me!

After leaving the bank I took a job as a buyer of spare parts for a mining company. I immediately found myself talking to mining engineers and sales representatives who were located all over the world.

I’d just spotted the job in the newspaper classifieds, thought it looked interesting, contacted the hiring manager, told him it looked a fun job and that I was willing to learn, and next thing I knew I was a buyer of spare parts for mining machinery.

After leaving that role I became a school bus services administrator, specifically planning rural school bus services.

This job saw me spend a lot of time on the road, meeting bus company managers, school principals, and staying in charming hotels in equally charming country towns.

Travel certainly can be an under appreciated aspect of a job, and what people tend to forget is it gets them out of the office! How bad can that be?!

I’d had no prior experience in either of the roles after my time at the bank, yet I’d managed to drop myself into them without any big deal, or without calling either transition a career change!

While I certainly had some transferable skills; such as organisational, communication, and problem solving abilities, among others, a lot of my “success” was down to my attitude, and the fact I was willing to jump in, and give it a go, while also learning on the fly.

In much the same way as my accountant turned writer friend had. It is a reminder to me that a “can do” attitude is perhaps the most important (transferable) skill any of us can develop.

Are you ready to quit your current job? I mean really ready? Does the thought of another day, even another minute, at that place fill you with dread and anxiety? Wouldn’t you just love to throw it all in, and instead focus your energies towards making the career transition you have been planning for so long?

You are not alone. I once knew someone who was so disenchanted at the prospect of going into work one morning, and a job he was thoroughly fed up with, he instead faxed a resignation letter to his boss minutes after waking up, and went straight back to sleep!

As tempting as an approach like that may be, it is not something I recommend however. Despite the frustrations that your current job and career may be causing, there are a number of very good reasons why staying put for the duration, and making a graceful exit, are part of a sound career change strategy.

Before anything else, what happens tomorrow?
What if you leave your job on minutes notice? How will you manage financially? You may forfeit all your unused holiday pay and any other allowances by departing abruptly, and end up with a very, very, small final pay cheque. Do you have sufficient savings to last until you start another job?

But, I only had to give five minutes notice…
The story about sending that early morning resignation letter by fax may amuse your friends, but it probably won’t cut much ice with recruiters. How will you explain walking out on your last employer at a job interview?

Your reputation and professional standing
And how will you also deal with the issue of a reference from your last employer. Or lack of a reference?

While it may be true your old job as a book keeper doesn’t have much relevance to the new career you are planning as a commercial photographer, you will still to show you have a professional work ethic.

Career changers need all the support as they can find. Having little, or no, experience in a new career field is hard enough, but if word gets around that you have a poor work ethic, trying to make a good impression becomes all the more difficult.

Burnt bridges
Going out in a “blaze of glory” after a heated argument with your boss, in front of all your colleagues, may make for a good sitcom storyline, but you never know where or when you might meet an old employer again, need their assistance, or even do business with them, in the future.

And as much as you may loathe your current job, this has to be one of the best reasons for leaving with dignity and restraint.

Conclusion
Of course if you are completely at the end of your tether, then leave, but resign in accordance with the provisions of your contract or workplace agreement. For example, if you are required to give four weeks notice, then do so.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to work out the full notice period though. For instance if you have unused holidays, you may be able to depart sooner, by effectively going on leave for all, or part, of the resignation period.

This is a matter you will need to discuss with your employer though, and is something that will be dependent on the staffing and workload requirements of the company.