A few years ago, in a vain attempt to improve my less than brilliant guitar playing, I enrolled in an evening course for “intermediate players” at a nearby community college.

Already familiar with several of the scales, and the requisite three chords all guitarists need to know, I reasoned I was ready “to take it to the next level”.

There were about 15 people attending the six week course, two of whom were sisters. At each of the weekly meetings, our instructor would remind us that daily practice was essential to becoming a good guitarist. His message on the final day of the course was no different.

“Don’t forget to practice your scales everyday!” he said by way of a farewell. He then turned to the two sisters in the group and said, “You two will be able to act as each other’s consciences in this regard!”

His words, aside from being some encouragement to the sisters, also struck me as an interesting and useful concept.

While most of us think of a conscience as being a guiding force, and something that influences our thoughts and actions in, hopefully, the right direction, a conscience can also act as a gentle reminder, and prompt us to stay focussed and working towards our goals.

And a person acting as a conscience is not like a mentor, but rather someone who will periodically prod us, and remind us of where we should be at any given time.

Asking someone to act as a conscience can be especially beneficial for people who are effectively working alone to achieve what are sometimes open ended and long term goals, where they are not really “accountable” to anyone except themselves.

This is in contrast to team situations, say a workplace project, where goals and deadlines are under constant review by a team leader.

In these sorts of circumstances it is far easier to remain motivated and working towards a specific outcome, as most of us would not relish the prospect of having to “explain ourselves” if things were not completed when required.

Working as part of a team also means we have others to call on if we need help or advice, and this is a role a “conscience” can also partly fulfil, offering encouragement and support when needed.

Changing careers is a very individual, or solo undertaking, and since we are not working as part of a team, and our performance (or lack of) is not being monitored by anyone else, it can become all too easy to let things slip.

And when this starts to happen it is often very easy just to say to ourselves, “Oh well, not to worry, maybe next time.” And all too often we can be very vague about when “next time” will be. And why not? It’s not as if the boss will reprimand us, is it?

While we should be working according to the career change road map we drew up at the beginning of the career change process, having someone who can follow up on our progress can help ensure we meet the various milestones we set out in that plan.

For instance are we doing enough networking? Are we doing all we can to chase down potential job leads? Left to our own devices we may not be doing what is needed, when it is needed.

We all need some prodding from time to time, and perhaps having to “explain” to someone else why a deadline may not be met, or something else may not be accomplished, could motivate us to lift our game, and get things done.

All with a little help from our conscience!

What do you want to do as a career? It may surprise you to know people who have been working for decades cannot answer this question. But sometimes we’ve known all along what we want, it’s just that ambitions we had from an early age have become clouded over and forgotten.

I was leaving work one evening a few years ago, and was chatting with another colleague, who was likewise going home.

“Another day, another dollar?” I joked. He shook his head in despair, and wryly said that while he didn’t mind working for just a dollar, he would much rather have spent the day doing something more fulfilling.

“Oh? You don’t like being a sales analyst?” I enquired. He shook his head. “No, and nor the other dozen or so things I’ve done before this either.” He summed up his working life to date by saying, “I’ve done this, and I’ve done that, but I still don’t know what I really want to do!”

Although I could partially relate to his situation, his admission did surprise me. He would have been in his late forties, and while some people can take time to work out “what they want to do”, I’d have thought by his stage in his life he would have found a career that satisfied him.

I remember in my final years at high school being asked to give thought to what I’d like to do for a living when I left school. I could think of nothing. Even for my first few years in the working world, I was just “taking” jobs, thinking that I’d have a career epiphany sooner or later. And preferably sooner, if possible.

Whatever the case though, I thought I would find my desired career within “five or so years”, but certainly never be in the position of my former colleague, who was still trying to find his niche, almost 30 years after leaving school!

So how do we find that desired career? While some people seemingly know their career ambitions from the time they are “knee high to a grasshopper”, why are others struggling to find the merest hint of career direction decades later?

Ironically part of the answer could lie in those childhood dreams. When we are younger, we tend to be bolder in our thinking, and believe all manner of things are possible. It’s as we become older, and more cautious, that we start to discount our options and possibilities. We also tend to be more receptive to the comments, particularly the negative opinions, of those close to us.

How many times would you have someone say, “What? You want to be a… photographer? Well that’s a very hard field to get into, you’d be better off choosing something else!”

And so it goes. We hear disparaging thoughts like that, and begin to believe that we are wasting our time pursuing such “lofty” ambitions. Pretty soon we have narrowed the field down to a few “safe” career choices, and think we have made the “right” decision.

But what happened to those people, who as children, wanted to be entrepreneurs, photographers, film producers, journalists, or whatever it was they set their hearts on? And by the way, I’m not talking about the people who had the movie, and rock star ambitions, although one or two would have succeeded I’m sure!

I talking about the people who, at a young age, had a very clear, and shall we say, “down to earth”, career goal in their mind. Chances are they went on to do what they dreamed of. Why? Because they believed in their dream, and themselves, and were able to see passed the detracting comments of others. If they even listened to those comments in the first place!

So what was your dream growing up, and why are you not doing that now, today? For my part I knew I wanted to be a free agent of some sort, working in a field that was somehow creative. I used to read the Tintin books (don’t laugh, now!) as a boy, and thought Tintin, as a freelance reporter, had a pretty cool job, and lifestyle.

While Tintin embarked on all sorts of weird and wonderful adventures along the way, I realised early on, that aspect of his “career” may have been slightly far fetched, but being a freelance journalist, or writer, or content producer, wasn’t exactly that unrealistic an expectation.

That dream however just seemed to get lost somewhere for many years. Perhaps when I was younger, and spoke of this future possible career, I didn’t word myself carefully enough, and took too seriously the jibes that I was setting myself up for failure by trying to be the next Tintin! It was a comic book, not real life after all, how you base any career dreams on something like that?!

I wonder what my former colleague had dreamed of doing when he was a child? Despite declaring that he had “no idea” what he wanted to do, I’ll bet he did once. It’s just that he’s forgotten it, or let himself dismiss the thought long ago, after hearing a few ill-conceived and negative thoughts.

Of course not all childhood career dreams are achievable. And this can sometimes be due to reasons beyond an individual’s control. An old school friend for years had wanted to be a commercial pilot. Again, not an especially unrealistic ambition, but eye tests revealed he was colour blind, which at the time, was enough to rule that out as a career option.

And assuming a situation like that doesn’t apply to you, as a first step in finding yourself a new career direction, think back, and recall your childhood dreams and thoughts. And remember not all of these ambitions are necessarily naive or far fetched, and even at a young age, you may have known more about yourself than you thought!

As I say, regard this as only a first step, and see what options or ideas it produces. I know it won’t work for everyone, and in the second part of this article, next Monday, we will examine some more methods of identifying career direction.

Having a career change plan, and knowing exactly what you are doing, and where you are going, not only makes the process a whole lot easier, it also keeps you motivated and focussed, especially during the inevitable periods of doubt and uncertainty that are bound to occur along the way.

Before I continue, the intention of this article is to briefly outline a career change plan. I have already covered some of the steps (which I will link to here), while more detailed articles covering other points will follow at a later time.

As with any itinerary or plan, it is a good idea to have it written out, for both reference and review, as you progress.

Step One. Having realised you want or need a change, you first need to seek the backing of your family and friends. This is especially important when a career change could entail some temporary lifestyle adjustments, as a result of reduced income, or less family time due to study requirements.

It will also be reassuring to know you can call on some moral support from time to time as well!

Step Two. Work out what you want to do. This step can, and in-fact should, take some time. The last thing you want to do, for instance, is sign up for expensive courses of study (particularly where full payment is required upfront), only to realise you made the wrong choice.

I know some people have difficulty with this step, and I will take a closer look at some of the methods of identifying new career direction in upcoming articles.

Step Three. Start researching your proposed new career. Leave no stone unturned! Read books, magazines and websites, ask others for their impressions, or seek out a good careers advisor knowledgeable in your field of interest.

If possible, find a Career Insider, that is, someone already doing what you would like to, and arrange an information gathering meeting, or interview, with them.

Step Four. Now that you some clear direction, carefully take stock of your existing qualifications and assess your transferable skills. Compare your current skill-set with what your new career requires.

Would some short study courses be sufficient to make up any skills “short fall”, or is formal study, that is a degree, necessary? This question is important because the answer could have a bearing on your career change ambitions.

For example, an accountant wishing to become a journalist could do so with only a good portfolio of well written articles, rather than needing any additional qualifications. An accountant wishing to become a dentist however, would require the appropriate professional qualifications, requiring a sizable investment of time and money.

Step Five. Having worked out what skills and knowledge you have, against what you require, it is now time to create, and set in place, a career transfer strategy. This step could take some time, especially if long term study is required.

If however you are able to redeploy much of your existing knowledge and experience, and only require minimal re-skilling or short term study, you can start planning a pathway into, or looking for work in, your new career field.

In other words, you can start thinking about how to find work. For instance, will you apply for advertised roles? Or make direct approaches to employers? Or perhaps locate, and tap into, an industry network?

Step Six. Look forward to your first day of work in a brand new career!

To quickly summarise the plan:

• 1. Enlist the support of family and friends.
• 2. Find a new career direction.
• 3. Research and gather information, and ask is the change feasible?
• 4. Assess current qualifications and transferable skills - is further study needed?
• 5. Plan and execute a career transfer strategy.
• 6. Start work in your new career!

Remember this isn’t an attempt to overly simplify the career change process, but rather set out the major steps involved. How long the plan takes to complete depends on a large, and varying, number of factors, and may take anything from several months, to several years.

Some people may find certain parts of the plan easier to step through than others. While some may enjoy the learning and studying stages, they may have trouble finding the work they want. Others may have trouble gaining family support. These difficulties will vary from person to person.

Finally, ensure that you set reasonable time frames to achieve goals, and carry out regular reviews of the plan as you progress. If things are not working, look closely at the reasons why. Also be prepared to make adjustments for any changes in your personal or family circumstances, should the need arise.

What do you want to do?

To “Sea Change” is to do something uniquely Australian. It refers to a desire to leave the big city, the cluttered lifestyle and, in many cases, a high powered career, to find a simpler life most often in a small town somewhere along the coast, or near the sea. Hence the term, Sea Change.

By doing so, “Sea Changers” feel they can achieve greater “life balance” away from the congested and noisy city streets, and the endless hours demanded by their high paying jobs. So they quit their jobs, sell their houses, pack up the car, and effectively drive to a far away beach to start a new life. (And when put that way, no wonder so many people are talking about it!)

It is also referred to as “downshifting” since Sea Changers, on giving up their high powered careers and, more significantly, the accompanying high powered salary, are often living on a greatly reduced income doing whatever work they can find in their new environs.

For Sea Changers though, the end justifies the means. Not only are they finding what they consider a better place to be, they also have more time to spend with their families, and the pursuit of interests they didn’t previously have time for. And although the change has come at some cost, in the end it is all worthwhile.

In a way Career Changers are a little like Sea Changers. Walking away from a situation they don’t like, and looking for something more fulfilling. Perhaps we could coin a new phrase here, and give ourselves a name: “C Changers”!

But while Sea Changers only have to open an atlas to find somewhere new to go, Career Changers usually face more of a challenge when it comes to searching for direction.

And finding a new direction to go in, is undoubtedly, the single most important aspect of the career change process. Once we find that direction, let’s call it a will, finding a way to reach our destination becomes that much easier. And as well all know, where there’s a will there’s a way.

So like our Sea Change friends, we know we want a change. We want a new career. We want our our own “C Change”. But where do we want to go, and what do we want to do next?

Well let us follow the Sea Changers’ example. Just as they dream of a better life before making it happen, let us dream also. If Sea Changers can find direction in that way, so can we.

So imagine, or dream for a moment, that money is not a problem. In other words, picture a situation where you have an unlimited supply of cash, and don’t need to earn to a single cent to support you or your family.

In that ideal state, what would you do? What dream business, or enterprise, would you establish? What “perfect” job would you apply for?

And whatever answer you have there, is the beginning, or the first step, of the career change process.

And I stress beginning, because frankly some dreams are just a little unrealistic or next to impossible to achieve! But we’ll return to that point, and explore in more detail, at a later time. The most important step, however is finding that new direction.

So start, or keep, dreaming. After all nothing is worse than being stuck in a job that makes you unhappy. Change is possible, and as with the Sea Changers, it comes at cost, but in the end it is all worthwhile.