Choosing your new career path after The Three Rs - Redundancy, Restructuring or Retrenchment

                     ‘Choose a job you love and you will
                        never work a day in your life’. 
                       Confucius – Chinese Philosopher

Nearly everyone will be affected by The Three Rs at least once during their working life. It’s a case of looking for the black cloud’s silver lining, matching your career goals with your lifestyle requirements and moving forward.

Now, you can choose what you really want to do, so if there was ever a good time to reassess your goals, this is it. Answer the following questions to get started:

• Are you using or gaining all of the skills that you want?
• Do you want more time off for family and less time travelling on business?
• Do you prefer working in teams or as an individual?
• Where would you like to be in five years time?
• How can you make sure your next job helps you to get there?
• Were you happy and fulfilled with your previous job?

Answering these types of grassroots questions will help you to focus your job search so that the next career you pursue will make you a happier person overall. Following are a few case studies that may help you to gain insight into what you need to consider when choosing a new career:

1. On reaching 55, Peter was forced to retire from the Royal Australian Air Force and was very upset about it. He had been a photographer in the RAAF for fifteen years and had recently retrained into a new career in information technology. He loved training staff in computing and helping them with any ongoing computing problems. As far as he was concerned, he had just started a new career and certainly was not ready to retire. He had a career transition consultant compile his first-ever-resume and while discussing civilian career options, he learned a startling fact... some people outside the Defence Force actually had careers teaching people how to use computer software. He was astonished to see pages and pages of computer consultants listed in the Yellow Pages Directory. On his way home, he stopped to buy a CD in a music store and noticed that the sales consultant was having difficulty with the register. He asked about the program she was using, only to be told that the previous manager who bought the program had left and no one really knew how to use it. Peter offered to take the software manual home and develop a brief training program for the staff. Before he realised it, he had started on his new civilian career as a computer consultant.
   
2. James was an interstate transport driver. He hated being away from his family for long stretches, but really enjoyed driving large vehicles. He and his wife had both been raised in the country and his life goals revolved around returning to a rural lifestyle. Following company restructuring, he was offered a voluntary redundancy package. He jumped at the chance and used the money to buy a private bus run on the Darling Downs in Queensland. Part of his package included retraining so he applied for a School Bus Licence and undertook short courses in horticultural studies at TAFE. He combined the best of both worlds in his new career by purchasing a small stone fruit orchard and running a school bus service.
   
3. Bob was a finance manager who was trained in all aspects of catering in a large public service organisation. During annual holidays, he and his wife enjoyed travelling around Australia staying in caravan parks. When Bob retired at 55 (Yes, some people actually do retire at this age) he received outplacement training and he undertook a course in Caravan Park Management. During their twenty years of holidaying in caravan parks, Bob and his wife had built up a strong network of contacts among caravan park owners and they quickly got their first relief management role. Bob was able to use both his financial skills and catering skills in his new career as a relieving caravan park manager. He now has his dream job – doing exactly what he wants... and getting paid for it!

Answer the following questions and you will identify the type of work that makes your heart sing:

1.  If your numbers came up in Gold Lotto and you were financially secure
     without ever needing to work again, what would you do with your life?

2.  What work excites you and makes you feel completely happy and satisfied?

3. If you could choose your own work (without feeling guilty about family or
    other responsibilities) what work would you choose to do?

4. What topics do you prefer to talk about when talking to friends at parties?

5.  As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

6.  What gives you the greatest sense of feeling really alive and motivated?

7. What activity do you enjoy where you become completely absorbed and lose
   track of time, so that five hours seems like five minutes?

Did you notice the same answer popping up, over and over? This is the work you need to be doing.

If you can’t afford to do this type of work for your living right now, then it should be a hobby and something you can plan to do in your retirement.

This information comes form the course ‘Changing Careers Toolkit’ conducted by Dawn Richards at the University of Queensland. Click on this link for further information www.icte.uq.edu.au