I have been out of work now for more than two months because of a layoff. I’m finding it tough to find employment in my field and I feel that it is an area that may be becoming obsolete. In any case, I am no longer happy and satisfied with this profession and would really like to change careers. I have considered jobs that would still allow me to use the skills I already have, but I’m afraid that desperation will drive me to accept anything, if offered. My financial situation is not good – I’m still waiting for EI. As much as I would like to retrain, I can’t afford to go back to school. Any advice?

You are not alone

Unfortunately, you are facing a very common set of career problems that more and more members of the workforce must tackle. And more frequently, this happens more than once in most people’s careers. There once was a period, not that long ago, when there was much more stability in the global and national economies, and professions followed predictable paths. Although the evolution of careers is certainly not a new phenomenon – just ask the buggy-whip makers – the pace of the change in individual careers has increased tremendously in the past 15 or 20 years.

The economy is constantly evolving

The buggy-whip makers mentioned above all evolved somehow during that very quick change in the early 1900s. Some took their existing skills in leatherwork and adapted them to new positions (glove-making, automotive interior work, etc.). Some retrained and took on whole new professions, while some decided to stay with it and became niche or high-end buggy-whip manufacturers to exploit the much smaller remaining market. The rest essentially stayed unemployed or underemployed for the rest of their lives.

“What group am I in?”

The question you need to ask yourself when this happens to your chosen profession is whether you want to take charge of your future and actively pursue viable alternatives. In your individual case, you have taken that first very important step and acknowledged the reality you face. Many people in your situation have difficulty in doing this. They sit around, blaming everything and everyone else for their misfortune – and then nostalgically reminisce about the “good old days”. From your letter, you don’t appear to be wallowing in self-pity, or have difficulty in accepting the new reality, and that’s a great start, believe it or not.

Think about the long term and short term

You have two problems here that you are essentially trying to combine into one. You may have done this to take advantage of the freedom you gained with this sudden layoff and thought of your intention to change career directions. Many people will use a severance payment, for example, to pay for education or other retraining initiatives. You may not have that luxury right now. This is the equivalent to your car breaking down in the middle of the desert – you may have always wanted to visit the desert, but this might not be the best time to explore if you’re not prepared with adequate supplies and resources. The consequences can be very serious.

In your particular situation, the first, and more urgent problem is your financial crunch. You need to find a job that pays enough for you to live comfortably, and that is hopefully at least as enjoyable as your last job. Focus on getting a job that will fulfill your shorter-term criteria first. If you can explore other career options that use your skill set, so much the better.

Your second problem is that you wish to transition into a new career. This can often take more time, and needs careful consideration. I have written in previous columns about successful career transitioning techniques, so go back and take a look.

Define your strategy

Decide what strategy you wish to take. Do you want to retrain and transition in one step, or get a new job and then tackle your career transition? This can help you to define a strategy and focus on what’s important now, while perhaps alleviating some of your (quite natural) stress. Of course, while not impossible, it is certainly more of a hurdle to try to do both at once. So don’t make things unnecessarily difficult for yourself.

Offer phobia

As for the feeling that you might accept anything out of “desperation” – while many of our clients tell us that they can sometimes feel this common and understandable fear, don’t let that fear translate into inactivity or stalling in your job search. The logic goes: “If I don’t call anyone or apply for jobs, then I won’t get bad offers that I might accept.” The fatal flaw in this logic, of course, is that you don’t get any good offers either. Trust yourself that you will make the best decision under the circumstances when offers come in. You can also compare the job with the short-term objectives you defined above to judge whether it will be a good fit for you.

Good luck!

Michael Mayne, M.B.A., CMA, is Managing Partner and a Certified Professional Career Counsellor at Catalyst Careers, a Career Transition, Counselling, and Outplacement firm. Michael has been involved in the not-for-profit sector for many years, and is Past President and Treasurer of ALS Canada. To contact Michael, visit: www.catalystcareers.com.

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Disclaimer: Advice and recommendations are based on limited information provided and should be used as a guideline only. Neither the author nor CharityVillage.com make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability for accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided in whole or in part within this article.