Experiment Your Way To A New Career
There are two schools of thought about how to transform your career.
One is the traditional plan-and-implement approach. You reflect on what you're good at and what you want, research what's out there based on your experience, weigh the pros and cons of various options, and then build and execute a plan to achieve your goal. This path has served many of us well—especially those with a strong lived experience of the work that fulfills us.
For others, the plan-and-implement approach is panic-inducing because it assumes you know exactly what you want to do, what skills and aspects of your personality you want to bring to light, and who you want to become. It assumes there's "one true self" that you must find and nurture.
For most of us, life is not linear, and our self-concept is not singular. We are interested in many career paths. Building and executing a carefully constructed plan for a pre-determined destination might feel limiting. What if we choose the wrong destination? The answer is unthinkable—wasted energy, time, perhaps a loss of money and reputation. It's easy to see why many avoid career transformations even when wildly discontent.
The second approach to career transformation—test-and-learn—brings a unique sense of freedom and flexibility. It liberates you from the pressure of committing to a specific path upfront. Through practical experience, you can discover what's appealing and feasible. This method of 'flirting with our possible selves' allows us to explore new identities until we find one that aligns with our values, interests, and skills.
So, what does this approach look like in practice?
Start by making a list. Herminia Ibarra encourages us to embark on a journey of self-discovery, exploring all the possible selves we might become. This is not just a task; it's a "curiosity practice" where we ask ourselves, "What if?" and "Would I enjoy doing X? Could I be good at Y? Would I be able to make a living doing Z?" So, what intrigues you? Think broadly about the range of possibilities. Have you wondered about becoming a mechanic, a monk, a programmer, an author, or an advocate? What did you long to do or be when you were a child? What are you afraid to put out into the universe but secretly dream of? Write it down.
Next, review the list and identify the fastest, lowest-cost experiments to try first. Remember, you're not making a complete career change; you're simply finding 1-2 experiments to try over a finite period. These experiments could be a side project, a temporary assignment, a new credential, taking a course, or doing advisory work at a nonprofit. If you don't have the luxury of these more involved tests, your experiment could be to network with people in a new field, talk to recruiters in the industries you're interested in, or write every day for 10 minutes for a year. These experiments can be simple. The key is to start somewhere small and learn as you go.
Know what you're going to measure. Determine what you'll evaluate and what data you'll collect to help you refine your choices further over time.
It also helps to inventory your fears. What are you most afraid of? The goal is not to overcome your fears while experimenting but to note when they surface.
I don't want to oversimplify career transformation—there's more to it than the above steps imply. Eventually, you do need a more decisive plan. Examining your assumptions, narrative, network, non-negotiables, identity, and values are all essential parts of the process. But the above steps, based on Herminia Ibarra's work, are a helpful starting point if you feel stuck.
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I'm still exploring the intersection of identity and career. This is post #5 of 7. If you need a coach to help you through a transformation, feel free to schedule a consult to see if we’d be a good fit. https://calendly.com/kristenarterburn/intro-call
