Hi Nadine,

Thanks for reaching out! I have sent your question over to our coaches who will be in touch soon. In the meantime, if you haven't already checked out some of the career change resources on our website, I would recommend taking a look at the following:

- Cancer as Inspiration for Career Changes: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/Cancer-as-Inspiration-for-Career-Changes
- Finding Meaningful Work: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/finding-meaningful-work
- Job Search Tools: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/job-search-tools

I hope this is helpful, let us know if you have any other questions.

Best,

Sarah, Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers

Hi Nadine, You are definitely at a cross roads in your life! Changing careers can feel very overwhelming especially when you are not clear about what you want to do next. The articles Sarah referred you to are helpful and I will elaborate on them in this post. Please do feel free to reach out again with any more specific questions.

Generally there is a three-step process for changing careers:
1. Self-assessment
2. Identify opportunities and obstacles
3. Create an action plan

Self-Exploration and self assessment are important steps for you to take prior to making a move back into the workforce in an entirely new field or job.
It may be helpful for you to seek advice and/or counseling from several outside sources rather than rely solely on self and family and friends.

 Start by taking an inventory of personality preferences, favorite skills, interests and accomplishments. Looking back over your career and highlighting the things you enjoyed and are most proud of is part of this self-assessment process. Write these down and look for patterns in this inventory to hone in on the areas of keenest interest or ability.

 
This thorough self analysis may seem tedious and a delay to the process, but not only is it essential to determining the career change, but also for writing a resume and cover letters. And, it will prepare you for the interview process. Finally, this self-assessment process will build your confidence. By the time you finish compiling your self-evaluation, it is likely that you will feel much more confident that you have something great to offer and are able to articulate those strengths to a new employer, or clients if you decide to start your own business.

Whether you are learning about yourself for the first time or reminding yourself about who you are, this means first looking at your values – that is those things that motivate and fulfill you. Your values can range from autonomy, building something, and helping others, to learning, self-expression, physical activity, autonomy and teamwork.


Interests - While it’s not necessary to feel passionate about your work or business, it is important to be interested in what you do. If not, or if you are doing something that hasn’t turned out to be as interesting as you thought it would be, take another look at what rings your chimes. The four categories I highlight are people, ideas, data and objects.

Favorite Skills – These are not just your skills but the skills you are willing and interested in using. If, in your past work you are spending more time using skills that aren’t the ones you want to use, it may be time to reassess this. In your situation, selling may be an obvious skill for you to avoid using. 

• Regardless of your situation, the economy or anything else, there are always opportunities and roadblocks.
  I believe that opportunities are limitless. To discover what they are, it is important to be curious about the world and things you know little or nothing about so you don't fall into the trap of just thinking about things you know about like retail, teaching, nursing and law. Definitely do the following:
   Talk to people
   Do research on the Internet
   Identify trends
   Think about problems that need solving
  
  Potential roadblocks tend to fall into these categories:
   Age
   Money
   Time
   Education
  Once you have some ideas of the kinds of jobs you are interested in and what the opportunities and obstacles are it is time to
  create an action plan, write it down and be sure that it is flexible and brief. You can set goals within your action plan using the SMART formula - specific - measurable - attainable - results focused and time bound. Revisit it often and run it by your advisors.

Good luck!

Julie