Career change requires time, energy, determination

Terry H. writes that he’s ready for a job change after six years of working in information technology at a large public relations firm. He supports day-to-day IT operations such as desktops, phones and servers.

“I have been trying to get out of this position for a while,” he writes. “What is holding me back, I can’t explain. I have only three years of college under my belt, and I have no interest in getting a degree within the IT field at all. When I apply for jobs, I never get any calls back. Is this possibly because all the experience I have is within the IT world? I am eager and ready for a change, but I can’t figure out how to make the move.”

Actually, there are several things that might be holding you back. Elsewhere in your letter, you note that you are married, with young children. You probably don’t have a lot of extra time or energy. When you factor in the lack of a clear direction and, I’m guessing, a decent salary, the inertia you face is almost insurmountable.

Here are a few ideas to help you break the logjam.
1. Decide your time line for change. You need this to help you stick with a plan of action. At this point, you have at least two clear choices. You can stay at your job for a year or two while developing a new career path or you can jump ship now.
If you leave now, you will probably need to find work within IT again, as that is your current skill set. In this case, the process becomes one of simple job search. Write a strong resume highlighting your IT skills, develop a list of 50 employers to contact, then send out a few letters and resumes each week asking for interviews. Following up by phone will increase your odds of being interviewed.
I have a feeling that if this were just a matter of switching to another IT job, you wouldn’t be writing. It’s fairly clear from your letter IT isn’t capturing your interest anymore. Let’s look more closely at staying in this job while you develop a new career path.
2. Revisit the issue of completing your college degree. My guess is you haven’t had much time for this effort and that a lack of career direction makes it difficult to choose a program. Admittedly, it would help if you knew what your next career would be. Say you wanted to be in journalism. Well, then a degree in that area would make a lot of sense.
I’d like to invite you to skip the career selection step if it’s holding you back right now. Instead, look for the most reasonable degree program in your location in terms of the cost, schedule and commute. Then talk with your manager to explore tuition reimbursement and alternate work schedules that might be available.
At this stage, I’d recommend a degree that provides a lot of flexibility. Not IT, as that is both too narrow and too uninteresting to you. Perhaps communications, business or any area that will sharpen your writing, speaking and analytical skills.
For the record, I’m not pushing the degree option because I think you can’t move forward without it. Rather, I think you need some time in another environment to help you break the patterns you’ve established. By mixing with other students, particularly other adults who are making career changes, you will begin to see possibilities that are hidden from you right now. Also, as your experience is too narrowly focused right now, a degree in a non-IT area will serve as both a credential and as a way to rebalance your resume.
3. Look for new assignments within your company, or for internships and volunteer experiences externally. Again, I know time and energy are probably limited resources. But you will need to develop experiences and contacts that are not centered on the world of IT if you are going to make a switch.
Initially, these new experiences can be short-term and exploratory: You’re just trying to get an idea about which things you might like to do in your next career. But at some point, you’ll want look for experiences that raise your skill level in your newly chosen field.
4. Get a transition buddy. Whether it’s a family member, friend or counselor, engage someone else in your journey. You’ll find yourself moving along at a better pace if you are accountable to another person for your progress.

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