Second Breaks

Coming up with your career move’s Big Picture is a necessary first step. But what if you’ve done the work but you still can’t decide on your best option? Now what?

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Coming up with your career move's Big Picture is a necessary first step. But what if you've done the work but you still can't decide on your best option? Now what now?

My guest today is Margaret Vandergriff, who had been working in the non-profit world for 25 years, as a freelance grant writer. She’s made a pivot in recent years and her choice of a new career was largely informed and influenced by her own personal experiences.
In this episode, Margaret traces her career path, from the time she initially considered a career in classical music, to freelance grant writing for non-profit organizations, to her most recent pivot helping empty nesters and folks who are looking to relocate geographically.

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The inspiration for new career paths can come from different places. We often look externally for ideas. One that's easy to overlook is our personal experiences which may point us to unique and specialized niches.

The inspiration for new career paths can come from different places. We often look externally for ideas. One that's easy to overlook is our personal experiences which may point us to unique and specialized niches.

How we can experience life as much as we can without “the career” getting in the way? I've enjoyed many interesting conversations since I started this podcast in June 2017. Through interviews with gracious guests, I've learned of different inciting incidents for a career change and as many varied perspectives on fears, risks, and challenges.

One of the most memorable conversations I've had the privilege of having is with Tim DeBellis — aeronautics engineer turned management consultant in the Healthcare Industry, turned coffee-shop-owner and operator, turned Real Estate professional.

His view on life experiences and careers is definitely one of the most refreshing ones I've heard. Instead of his career becoming a pair of handcuffs that chains him to one path, Tim uses career shifts to go with the flow, try out things, and experience different aspects of life.

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How we can experience life as much as we can without "the career" getting in the way

How we can experience life as much as we can without "the career" getting in the way.

Denise Walsh started her professional life as a clinical psychologist. It was the career path she’d chosen for herself. But after working at a local mental health organization for several years, she realized that it wasn’t the path she wanted to be on after all.
In this episode, Denise and I talk about why she left what was a “safe career path” to create a business with her husband.
Denise shares what it was like for her in the beginning and her big Aha moments that helped her build a successful career in direct sales.

A Few Takeaways from Episode 82:

• The skills we learned from school or previous jobs will always be useful even if we were to change careers.
• The feeling of jealousy is a signal that we can harness to our advantage (instead of feeling bad about ourselves or others).
• Just because our college education might lead us down one career doesn’t mean we are “stuck” with this path for the rest of our professional life.
• We may not feel 100% confident or have all the skills when we’re starting something new. Surrounding ourselves with the right people could be the difference between making it and quitting.

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Sometimes, the career path we've chosen ourselves doesn't pan out the way we thought it would be.