Hear from Stevie Talent, Alex on her career change journey
She shares her first-hand experience with changing careers.
As a young woman, I clearly remember the discussions centered around women finally being able “to have it all.” And by “having it all” I mean finding that unicorn balance between a thriving career, supportive relationships and healthy family life. Somewhere between child two and three, it became evident to me that something would have to give.
So I stepped off a career path I had diligently nurtured and crafted and gladly dedicated myself to raising my family.But what I figured might be a year or two out of the workforce was closer to a decade as we made several global moves for my husband’s work.
With each move, I found myself concentrating on settling my family and drifting further away from my professional life. I satisfied myself with some occasional freelance writing and figured that might be the extent of going back to work for me. Because the truth was, after a decade of inconsistent work, I was a middle-aged woman zapped of confidence and terrified of re-entering a workforce I no longer recognised. I probably would have stayed stuck in my insecurity paralysis had COVID not hit. Almost two years of locking down at home stirred in me a fervent desire to get out of my house and get back into a professional environment.
I knew I wanted to get back to work, I just didn’t know how to go about it.
On the advice of my ever-supportive spouse, I began networking and talking to people about what they did, and my experiences, and considering new professional avenues. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back into journalism or writing but it was all I knew. Enter Jo Harris of Stevie, connector extraordinaire. We had long discussions about my perceptions of ageism, particularly for women, and how hard it was to start all over professionally at my stage of life. I also knew that though I wanted to dip my toes back into work, I wasn’t willing to do it full-time. So when Jo approached me about part-time work in a smaller fashion/retail business, I bristled with excitement. It was a total pivot from my experience which I honestly would never have considered had Jo not presented it to me.
It has now been close to a year since I started that job and I’m still so incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I have loved embarking on a brand new professional adventure and seeing the way a small business operates from the ground up. I feel engaged, challenged, and valued professionally.
It is not without its challenges and I’m still learning how to navigate systems, set boundaries, and communicate my needs. But I’m realising that in addition to the skill sets I already knew I had, I have others that I had never tapped into before and am so excited to explore.
I’ve also realised that the biggest limits are the ones we set on ourselves and that once we push past them, anything is possible.
Find out how Stevie can support you to rejoin the workforce by clicking here.
