Navigating Career Transitions

December 18, 2023

Career transitions are overwhelming. 

In 2008, I resigned from my job as a community organizer in Alabama to pursue my Master’s in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education (HALE) at Michigan State University. Naturally, I was nervous. When I told my family and friends about the move, there were so many comments about everything I would have to change. 

For example, Jeff, a good friend, suggested that I buy a cheap, used car when I got to Michigan and leave my new car in Alabama. He said the salt from the Michigan snow would destroy my paint and rust my car.

I thought to myself, “How would I afford maintenance for two cars on a graduate student stipend”? Others advised me to buy snow tires and chains right away to prepare for the brutal winters ahead. Some advised me not to buy more clothes in Alabama because they wouldn’t be thick enough for Michigan weather. Everyone had an opinion and advice, which only deepened the anxiety I had about my decision.

Moving to Michigan from Alabama and leaving a stable career to return to student life was a difficult transition to navigate.

Since then, I have experienced many other career transitions, which have all provided me with keen insight regarding managing career changes.

Here are five steps to manage any career transition.

Name it

First, it is important to identify the type of career transition you are experiencing. In my story above, I was experiencing several transitions simultaneously. In addition to the change in physical location, I was leaving my family in another state and also changing career fields, consequently leading to a change in career identity.
There are several different types of career transitions one may experience throughout a career.

The two most common career transitions are venturing out, transitioning into a different career field, and changing roles within the same field. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning from face-to-face work to remote or hybrid environments has become quite popular and includes unique challenges.

Being extremely clear about all the changes happening to you and around you is important. Naming what has and is changing is the first step to managing the transition you’re experiencing.

Accept the unknown

The most difficult aspect of managing transitions is truly accepting that you don’t know how it will turn out. Most adults want to feel some degree of control, and major transitions rob us of that feeling.  

I am here to say it is okay. It’s okay not to know when you will get your next job. It’s fine if you aren’t completely sure the new career you are jeopardizing is worth it. Not seeking to control the transition will enable you to release yourself from the stress of having to have all the right answers.

Once you’ve reached true acceptance, it becomes easier to say “I don’t know” and “I’m not sure” when asked about your future. There should be no shame in accepting uncertainty. Leaning into hope is one way to move closer to acceptance of the unknown and away from anxiety and the need to control.

Reflect

Reflection is a powerful tool because our growth directly relates to how we are willing to assess our situation and make adjustments. Jack Mezirow proposed that adults make meaning of past experiences, forming a belief system for future decisions.  

If you hope to enter a new field, what did you experience and learn in your previous role or field that will enable you to significantly contribute to your new industry? What challenged you before that you hope to do better in your next position? Answering these questions about your experience will produce insight you can only achieve through reflection.   

According to Mezirow, transformative learning has three overall components: experience, critical reflection and development. Transformation occurs when an individual can expand his or her belief system and act in new ways. Adults are transformed by identifying an experience, reflecting on it and acting in new ways. 

Show Gratitude

Frustration, anger, resentment and confusion are often felt by someone amid a major transition. These are complex and big emotions. If not managed correctly, these emotions can be all-encompassing. It’s okay to sit and feel these emotions.

However, when you are ready to move through them, gratitude bridges the other side. Perhaps you were downsized by an employer, and the experience has left you feeling bitter, and it is hard to cope with this loss. Try making a list of everything you experienced with your last company that you are truly grateful for. Think about where you would be and how life would be without the things on your list.

This depth of gratitude will give you the strength to manage the bitterness. Flexing your Thank You Power muscles will provide a new perspective in transition.

Keep Moving Forward

Despite the uncertainty, keep taking steps toward your desired destination. I honestly didn’t know how I would live in a cold climate like Michigan; it was never a destination state on my list. However, I knew that the HALE Program was the only degree I found focused on higher education and adult learning. I was certain that I wanted to work in higher education and start a career coaching business.

Here I am today, having done those things. There were several obstacles on my path. For instance, living on a student budget after earning a professional salary was humbling. Staying up all night to write papers was much different than leaving my office at 5:00 p.m. I didn’t drive when it snowed for a long time when I first moved there, but eventually, I learned. My message is to move forward even when the clouds block your view.

We never know how long a transitional season will last, but with the right tools, they can be managed, shortened and maybe even appreciated.  

 

Tonjala is a growth mindset and learning-centered career coach. She believes that each individual has a unique set of gifts, talents and strengths that equip them to reach their highest potential and find fulfilling work. Tonjala works with young, mid- and executive-level professionals, but she specializes in helping clients navigate career transitions.

To help clients reach their goals, she uses personal branding, LinkedIn optimization, networking, resume revision, SMART Goals and Happenstance Theory. Tonjala jokes that her father was her first career coaching client. As a young child, she circled job ads in the classifieds during one of his career transitions. This natural curiosity about work led her to earn a Master of Arts in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education (HALE) from Michigan State University; in addition to obtaining her Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) Certification. She has 15 years of experience supporting others on their career development journey, served as a faculty member at four institutions of higher education, authored a book chapter on the career development of athletes and consulted for businesses and non-profit organizations. Follow her on LinkedIn for career insights.

You can find her on the MSU Alumni Career Coach Directory.

Author: Tonjala Eaton