{"id":1886,"date":"2020-07-03T17:00:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-03T16:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=1886"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:16:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:16:20","slug":"making-a-career-change-after-the-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/2020\/07\/03\/making-a-career-change-after-the-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a Career Change after the Covid-19 Pandemic\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Neon<\/a><\/p>\n

The shock and disruption the<\/span>\u00a0Coronavirus pandemic<\/span>\u00a0has caused, is prompting<\/span>\u00a0many to rethink their career<\/span>s. But as a recent article in the\u00a0<\/span>Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/a>\u00a0mused \u201cis this really the right time?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Before you go too far in your pursuit of new opportunities<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it\u2019s worth taking time to reflect on why you are\u00a0<\/span>really\u00a0<\/span>wanting the change. What is really driving your decision to seek other options<\/span>?\u00a0<\/span>Factors such as a poor relationship with your boss, a long commute and unhappy working environment are common reasons for seeking a new direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have made a career change myself<\/span>; I spent 20 years as a\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>econdary\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>chool science teacher and have experienced\u00a0<\/span>first-hand,<\/span>\u00a0the highs and lows of knowing you want a change and working through how to make it happen. In t<\/span>his article\u00a0<\/span>I\u00a0<\/span>will cover some of the things to consider before making a drastic (or not so drastic) decision to completely change career.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How big a change?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

I mentioned some issues above that could be\u00a0<\/span>resolved with a relatively small change to your circumstances. For example, if you had a poor relationship with your boss, could you work for another team in your organisation or move to another company and keep the same role? If the commute<\/span>\u00a0is<\/span>\u00a0getting you down, are there roles being advertised nearer to where you live? Does your company have offices in different\u00a0<\/span>locations,<\/span>\u00a0and you could transfer there? It\u2019s worth trying to pinpoint exactly where your unhappiness lies with your current job situation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are you seeking?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

If you have established that it\u00a0<\/span>IS<\/span><\/i>\u00a0the job or career path that is the problem, the next step is to establish what is missing from\u00a0<\/span>your<\/span>\u00a0current work and what you want from a career that you\u2019re not getting.<\/span>\u00a0Have you ever taken the time to think about your\u00a0skills,\u00a0<\/span>strengths<\/span><\/a>, and ideal working environment? Do you know what you value in a job and an employer? Has that changed since the last time you considered it? What\u00a0<\/span>would<\/span><\/i>\u00a0you like to be doing during your working day?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reality bites<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

A word of caution here, beware the draw of unfinished business, the job you always thought you wanted. As a teacher I helped train numerous mature entries to the profession who \u201cAlways wanted to be a teacher\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>Many of<\/span>\u00a0them found the reality of day to day life in a\u00a0<\/span>large modern comprehensive school to be very different from the dream they had of the role.\u00a0<\/span>Also, you may now have to consider factors about your situation such as relationship ties, paying the bills and what\u2019s available where you live unless you are willing to relocate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>G<\/span>uide to\u00a0<\/span>F<\/span>inding a\u00a0<\/span>G<\/span>raduate\u00a0<\/span>J<\/span>ob<\/span><\/a>\u00a0you will see a section about searching for work in a particular\u00a0<\/span>location<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>In some towns and cities certain industries dominate, while others are under-represented. Needing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>or wanting to work in a specific area may not match with your\u00a0<\/span>career<\/span>\u00a0choices so\u00a0<\/span>do your<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>research. Work out how you will get to work, the costs and how far you are prepared to travel so<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>you can look beyond the immediate locality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next Steps<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Once you have settled on the direction you want to take,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>it's<\/span>\u00a0now time to start making\u00a0<\/span>connections,<\/span>\u00a0yes<\/span>\u00a0-<\/span>\u00a0the dreaded NETWORKING! You<\/span>\u00a0are<\/span>\u00a0maybe wondering how that is possible whilst working from home under lockdow<\/span>n? B<\/span>ack again to the\u00a0<\/span>Harvard Review article<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe golden rule of networking for career change has always been to mobilize your weak ties \u2014 that is, the relationships you have with people you don\u2019t know so well or don\u2019t see very often, in order to maximize your chances of learning things you don\u2019t know already.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

There is a valuable tool available to you<\/span>\u00a0that can help you to do this<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>Bath Connection.\u00a0<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Bath Connection is an e-mentoring site with over 1,500 alumni. You could use this to find out about different career paths<\/span>\u00a0along with this\u00a0<\/span>careers resource<\/span><\/a>\u00a0which talks you through online networking\u00a0<\/span>through Bath Connection and LinkedIn<\/span>. All easily done from the comfort of home.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next on your list is getting job experience. Remember back to those trainee teachers I told you about? They found out the hard way, how working in a school is very different to being a pupil in one.\u00a0<\/span>Y<\/span>ou will be expected to train in a variety of settings that may be very different to the one you attended yourself. By shadowing someone for the day, volunteering or doing internships,\u00a0 you will have a much clearer understanding of the career you are considering and can go ahead with your plans with your eyes open to all that it involves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Covid-19 and career change<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

What if you are considering a career change now, because of Covid-19? Are you a student giving up a career in the hotel management sector as there are hardly any jobs? Maybe you had plans to work in aerospace engineering<\/span>. Seeing the news stories about Airbus<\/span>\u00a0and the impact on the airline industry as a whole<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>maybe\u00a0<\/span>causing you to reconsider.\u00a0<\/span>If this\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0you I recommend that you\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>ake a look at\u00a0<\/span>our<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Get Started: Career Options<\/span><\/a>\u00a0guide<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You do not have to<\/span>\u00a0give up on your\u00a0<\/span>P<\/span>lan A, but instead have a think of what plan B or\u00a0<\/span>C\u00a0<\/span>could be<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>t may<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>be possible to achieve your career goal albeit by a\u00a0<\/span>more winding and indirect route<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>There\u2019s no need to<\/span>\u00a0\"give up\" on what you want to do,\u00a0because of the situation we are\u00a0<\/span>currently\u00a0<\/span>in<\/span>. It\u00a0<\/span>does<\/span>\u00a0pay to be realistic<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>though<\/span>\u00a0and realise that there may not be many jobs in those sectors for a while<\/span>. Think back to your reasons for<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>wanting a career\u00a0<\/span>in that<\/span>\u00a0sector\u00a0<\/span>in the first place<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>if those reasons still hold true for you then it\u2019s time to consider a\u00a0more squiggly\u00a0career path!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper present a podcast called \u201c<\/span>Squiggly Career<\/span><\/a>s\u201d which covers a variety of useful ca<\/span>reer related topics. They point out that many people believe that to be successful at work you need to climb the corporate\u00a0<\/span>ladder, but<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>argue the world of work is less traditional than it was and there are other ways to achieve career success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Manage your expectations<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Finally, career change takes time. It could realistically take 6-12 months to make the transition and even longer if it involves extra studying and training. It\u2019s important to manage your expectations with regards to your job title and very likely\u00a0 a lower salary, at least to begin with. Take your time to test out your ideas based on facts and getting experience in the \u201creal world\u201d of that job and sector. Work out the small positive steps that move you closer and closer to your goal and\u00a0<\/span>don\u2019t forget the Careers Service can support you in a 1:1\u00a0careers\u00a0appointment<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The shock and disruption the\u00a0Coronavirus pandemic\u00a0has caused, is prompting\u00a0many to rethink their careers. But as a recent article in the\u00a0Harvard Business Review\u00a0mused \u201cis this really the right time?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Before you go too far in your pursuit of new opportunities,\u00a0it\u2019s worth taking...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1382,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[748],"tags":[4,54,10,6,298,296],"class_list":["post-1886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-advice","tag-career-choice","tag-career-planning","tag-careers-advice","tag-networking","tag-work-experience"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1382"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1886"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1886\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}