Career transitions are life changing...(You are not alone)

Have you ever heard the phrase “It will change your life”? When I hear that phrase, I get a picture of some TV personality hawking the next generation of sharp knives that you can’t live without. But, what if there really is something that could live up to the phrase “life changing”? What would that look like? How would it work?

Some of us are lucky enough to have found a way to make a living that we love and are most satisfied with. For the other 70 percent of the working population, you are doing what you need to do to fulfill your responsibilities to take care of your family or carve out a living and get by. But, some days you ask yourself, “Is there anything more? Am I doing what I should be doing?” Call it your DNA that is talking to you, or your gut, or the Holy Spirit, but you get the message: something is off, and you are not done.

This is what the restart of a career transition looks like. Arguably, some career transitions are forced, like a layoff or leaving a negative environment. However, most transitions are self-initiated. A study from The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Baby Boomers held on average 11 jobs in their lifetime and an average four years of tenure in each job. The question is, how does one go about restarting? There is a free resource that can assist you in a career transition. It’s called the ReStart Career Conference, an educational program for individuals seeking career transition or a new career direction. Participants are taught professional career identification, transition techniques and networking tools. Then, they are provided a support community as they seek fulfilling work toward a life on purpose.

Over the last eight years, ReStart has seen over 2000 participants take advantage of the conference and core curriculum in order to assist in their career transition. As with any well-run organization, ReStart always asks for feedback on the effectiveness of the content. The top feedback we receive is: “This is life changing.”

As people begin to transition, questions abound. Where do I begin? How do I get up to speed with the technology of job searching? What is my propensity towards a given type of job? How do I beef up my resume? These questions are very common among our participants. As they weave through the ReStart program, their questions start to get answered. The result is our participants’ transition becomes less stressful. ReStart provides a structure and logical approach to career transitioning. Over 95 percent of the ReStart participants rate the experience “Excellent” or “Very good.”

You won’t find any fast-talking TV personality. Instead, you’ll find human resource professionals, former CEOs and industry leaders who understand the process of career transition. Make no mistake, the success of your transition remains with you. The curriculum calls for your participation, and effort; you only get what you put into the program. Eighty percent of the people going through the program are people seeking a career change. As a team leader of ReStart, I have witnessed over and over, the amazing transformation of people who seek to connect with careers that finally make them happy and start work toward a life with purpose.

So the question to you is: Are you ready for a career transition? It just may be “life changing.”

The next ReStart conference will be held at Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant on March 30.

To register, or for more information on the conference, visit www.restartsc.org.