When you were a child or a teenager, did you dream of what you would be when you grew up? Most of us had dreams when we were young, but how many of us actually fulfil them? Most of us set our dreams aside when reality kicks in and unfortunately for many, those dreams stay buried forever.
Although the dream may be buried, the feeling that things could be different, that there must be more to life, never really goes away. So, it’s not surprising to find you have reached a point in life where you are looking for something better, but not sure how to go reach it. Perhaps the original dream is still there, or perhaps it has been replaced by a new one.
Reality, however, looks very different. You feel stuck in a boring job, which might have been interesting once, but no longer holds much appeal. But you have bills to pay, responsibilities to meet and there seems to be very little you can do to change your situation.
Change can seem overwhelming in the face of mortgages, household bills, debt and the responsibilities of bringing up a family. This is particularly true if the change of career or job which we are striving for requires further study or training. However, it isn’t necessary to do everything at once. It is possible to break down the necessary steps into manageable chunks and move gradually towards our goals.
If you are in a what feels like an impossible situation, it’s important to analyse your skills and ambitions and then find a way of moving towards your goals, one step at a time.
Research the jobs and careers which interest you and look at exactly what needs to be done to reach your dream. What is the first step, something which you could do today?
If you need to move to a different type of job, is there anything you can do to prepare yourself? Perhaps you need to read up on the industry or talk to people already working in it.
If you need to retrain, consider starting with a short introductory course. This will get you back into the habit of studying and will also help you decide if the subject is for you – before you invest a lot of cash in a lengthy course. If you do have a considerable amount of study in front of you, look at ways of doing it part-time or by distance learning, which will enable you to stay in your present job.
Look at ways in which you can create more time so that you can focus on your studies or research your options. Cut out unnecessary activities and see if you can persuade other household members to help out more with daily tasks.
Moving towards a new career may involve short-term sacrifice, but if the alternative is spending the rest of your life in a job you don’t enjoy, the decision to change will be easy.
© Waller Jamison 2006
