Alumna Lynn Berger '84, '90TC, of the Columbia Career Coaches Network, weighs in on how to make a successful career change.
Persistence is key when making a career transition. Harmonize your ambition with a capacity for patience.
One needs to accept that progress will not always feel or look like you are moving ahead. Realizing that progress is not always forward is a huge reality. One step ahead and then one step back can happen. The important thing is that one needs to stay focused and determined and get right back on course. Progress can come at unpredictable times and in unexpected degrees. Searching for the best career can be daunting but success is just around the corner!
It is an accomplishment that you keep trying. When you search for what you want and ask for what you want, you are going to gain confidence. Strength builds on strength.
Patience and commitment to your goal is key!
If you do not search and you do not ask, you already know the answer. Just try to imagine yourself sitting some place several years from now. Which would make you feel better? Knowing that you tried, even if it was hard and challenging or knowing that you did not try?
The career transition process is different for everyone and not easy; however, along the way you can master skills that will pay off for you the rest of your life.
Lynn Berger '84, '90TC is a career counselor and coach specializing in helping people make the most of their lives and feel fulfilled. Berger received her Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology and her Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from Columbia. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Master Career Counselor, and Professional Certified Coach. Berger has appeared as a guest expert on radio and TV shows nationwide, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsday, The Huffington Post, Businessweek.com, and Monster.com. She authored The Savvy Part-Time Professional - How To Land, Create Or Negotiate The Part-Time Job Of Your Dreams.
View the complete list of Columbia Career Coaches Network members.