4 Things that Matter When You Choose a New Career: Will you be happy and be in demand?

Uncertainty seems to be pervasive in the current US economy and job market. AI has accelerated digital transformation in a variety of industries. Both the government and private sector are restructuring in response to perceived or real new realities. Military conflicts and potential conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, along with disease outbreaks in Africa further add to economic instability.

As individuals, our ability to reduce economic instability is minuscule. Yet nearly all of us have to protect our livelihood and be ready for career pivots in response to changes where we work or in the larger economy.

Career pivots often mean finding the intersection of:

1. What you love to do,
2. What you are good at,
3. What someone will pay you to do, and
4. What the world wants.

Our experience with downsized workers shows that people can feel stuck or unsure about their future. Others who are employed may have worked in the same job for years and feel frustrated or bored. They may no longer be challenged by the work they are doing. Or they may have hit a “pay ceiling” — maxing out their salary compensation for the type of work they are doing, without the opportunity for further significant growth. And, depending on  business conditions, workers near the top of their pay scale may find their jobs eliminated. Then they could find that a new company won’t hire them at the top of the scale.

So, if you are working for a public agency or other organization that could lose its funding, start thinking about your next move.

What do you love?

Think about what activities or subjects you love when you start planning your next move. A former federal government coworker pursued his interest in healthcare and became an E.M.T. Another acquaintance—an electronics technician for years—began studying calculus at age 70 to qualify as an electrical engineer.

What are you good at?

Also consider whether or not you have the talent for what you love. For example, you may not want to pursue formal schooling in engineering if you lack mathematical aptitude even if you love to tinker and invent gadgets. Another classic example I’ve cited before is that “being kind-hearted” is not good enough to become a nurse because the job is quite technical.

Some downsized workers take jobs doing things they have done as hobbies for years. But this does not work for everyone. It may not be fun to spend eight-hours or more per day doing something that was exciting for one day a week. A client that loved baking, for example, accepted an apprenticeship in a commercial kitchen. She was heartbroken when she found the work was very different from baking at home.

Can you be paid for something you love?

Similarly, you may be able to monetize a spare time activity you love as a second-act or third-act career. For example, if you have set up a successful social-media or website presence for a community group or club, you may be able to build this into paid freelance or contract work. It can take time and money, though, to turn a hobby or volunteer activity you love into a workable business, so think about whether you want to make the commitment. But remember the expression “if you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life.” 

Does the world need your expertise?

You can love what you do and have expertise that can be monetized, but you will only make money when you are offering something “the world” needs. You will find it a challenge to establish whether the market needs the services you want to offer when entering a new field if you are unfamiliar with potential employers or customers.

It requires market research to determine whether you can convince prospective employers or customers that they need your services. Leverage LinkedIn and your personal network to identify people that are doing what you want to do so you can speak with them. Approach them by explaining that you are learning about your new field, so they don’t view you as a competitor. People that love what they do like to talk about it, so you will get information.

We found examples of reinvention.

There are countless stories of successful career changes after years in government or corporate positions. A well-known example is that of Julia Child. We also found examples in our own files.

Julia Child was a longtime government employee when she took a cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu. She was 49 when she published “Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One,” in 1961. She got her own TV show, “The French Chef,” at the age of 51.

Clients we have worked with also demonstrated their ability to excel in new arenas. A woman who left a civil service job at the National Archives where she planned events, reinvented herself as a corporate meeting director. A fashion buyer we worked with found work in the construction industry that utilized her cost-cutting and spreadsheet skills.

These examples remind us that you always have the power to make a change and become the person you always wanted to be — the person you were meant to be. Act now to keep the DOGE, AI, or any other government, economic, or corporate upheaval from derailing your career.