A change of Tack

So, you have spent 20 years in finance and now you want to be a teacher. How do you go about it when you do not have any relevant experience in the workplace?
Finding a new job within the same field or industry is hard enough in today’s world, but changing careers entirely is another ball game altogether. While there are ways to use your resume to focus in on related skills and knowledge, this might not always be enough. There are, however, other things that you can do to build up your credibility and give yourself a better chance. One word of warning, though…do not expect to make it happen overnight.
One of the greatest problems for anyone wishing to change career, is their own attitude. They start from a place where they tell themselves, and other people, ‘I want to be a concert pianist/carpenter/brain surgeon’, but they see themselves as being so far outside their desired profession that they often fall short of actually doing anything about it. Probably one of the most common examples of this relates to writing. How many people do you know who have said that they want to be a writer, or at least that they want to write a particular story or book? And how many of these people have actually gone ahead and done it? Even though they may truly desire to be a writer, it is as though they are waiting for someone to give them permission, when actually all they need to do to fulfill their dream is…write. If they wait until somebody comes along and validates their dream by offering them a salary and giving them the job title, they could be waiting for a very long time.
Take the financier who wants to be a teacher. Is he going to make the transition by spending his free time reading finance journals? No. Will it happen if he continues to socialize and network with other financiers? No. Is his dream going to be realized if he chooses the night-school class in car mechanics, rather than the one in teaching? No. Nothing is going to change unless he begins to think like a teacher, to speak like a teacher and to ‘act as if’ he is a teacher, and he needs to be doing these things before he is ever hired into that role.
Whether he starts with no previous knowledge or experience, or just a little, his aim should be to learn everything he can about teaching. If he needs to take a course, then he should sign up and study until he gains the necessary qualifications. If he needs practical experience, then he should volunteer to help out at the local school. He should read everything he can on the subject, in books, magazines, journals and online, and learn the language of the industry. He should join relevant associations, attend education events, join discussion forums and network with others in the field in order to increase his knowledge and keep up to date. In short, he needs to be proactive.
Some people talk about visualizing yourself in your desired situation, and while this might sound slightly kooky, it is only by seeing himself as a teacher that the financier will ever be able to make the change. This does not, however, just mean picturing himself in the role, it means making the changes in his life which will bring his dream to fruition. Living the dream in, helps make it reality.
Changing careers is by no means impossible, and it is an extremely fulfilling and exciting experience. People do it everyday and many have NO regrets. What it does take, though, is commitment and determination. Nobody is going to come along and hand your new career to you on a plate, so it is up to you to get started and make it happen. Look at how far you have come, and how much you have learned in your current career. There is absolutely no reason why you cannot do the same again in a different field. You will not be able to start at the top, any more than you did first time around, but if your motivation is to spend your working life doing something which truly satisfies you, then it is worth every last bit of the time, effort and commitment that you put in.
(I just spoke with a friend that left a very successful HR career, to become a social worker. She had to start at ground zero again. Her comment - “I love going to work everyday and this is what I am meant to be doing”. Career change is risky, but sure has its advantages.)

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