Shifting gear

“You’re enrolling in what?” came my incredulous response to a friend who’s leaving a successful and well paid career in the public service to become a dance teacher. “Are you out of your mind?”

No, she says. After a very hard decade working for a handful of very demanding ministers, she’s about to ditch the comfort and security of a public service role to become a dance instructor.

Why? Because as a dance instructor she can stay fit and make people feel good about themselves.

But she’s not the only one.

There’s the software engineer who became a personal trainer, the journalist who’s retraining as a school teacher, the editor who’s becoming a priest and any number of late-30 year olds who are ditching perfectly good careers to take a chance in a totally different field.

And according to Adrianna Loveday, workplace psychologist with Ranstad HR consulting division, individuals in the workforce will dramatically change their roles or industries four to five times during a working life that spans four to five decades.

For some, this change will involve tacking an extra bit of university onto an existing career and jumping sideways to go forward, while for others it will take off on an entirely different path.

Randstad’s research shows 18 per cent of Australians changed their jobs in the past 12 months and 50 per cent of these stated “a personal desire for change” as the main motivation. And 55 per cent of employees have been in their current jobs less than five years.

While the official drivers will point to things such as a desire for self-fulfilment, inspiration and work-life balance. I have another theory.

Most Gen Xers were in high school, early work or university during 10 per cent unemployment and the “recession we had to have”, and felt the impact particularly keenly as youth unemployment rates hovered between 20 and 25 per cent during 1980s and early 1990s.

I have a vivid memory of a teacher telling her 100-odd assembled charges not to worry about a 10 per cent unemployment, because ultimately nine out of every 10 of us would find work, especially those nine who managed to get themselves skilled up to the eyeballs.

Having armed ourselves with a couple of degrees and certificates in everything from IT to floral arrangement, most Gen Xers are not only ready for the next recession, we’re ready to take a chance on a career change that will bring some meaning/time/exercise back into our lives.

Because when you graduate into a 25 per cent unemployment rate, 5 to 6 per cent makes it look like anything is possible.

Have you gone through a radical career changes? Write and tell me about it.

BRW

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