We tend to think of career transitions as occurring along various points in an already well-established career. You may choose to change jobs a number of times for career advancement, be downsized out of a job, or leave your workplace for a number of other reasons.
How many people recognize that there is also another very critical career transition point at the outset of our work life? The point of changeover from the academic environment into the work world which is a significant change from the protected world of a learner, be it high school, college, technical school, or university.
Being tossed into a fast-paced environment with heavy workloads and sometimes less than supportive colleagues is a cold, harsh shock from the protected world of academia and/or the supported role you had as a learner being bridged into your new career. The sense of confusion, loss of ideals, and feeling of failure can be overwhelming for even the staunchest of heart and most optimistic! What you are actually experiencing as you make this enormous change in your life is the ending of some pieces of your former life. Be it the end of friendships, the comfort of the protected world of school, or a shift from a world in which you were recognized an expert into that in which you need to establish new connections, new habits, a new way of being.
What do you do, how do you survive?
Your first step is to realize that you are not alone in feeling this way, your feelings are not uncommon, and in fact they are perfectly normal! William Bridges, an expert on managing transitions, describes three stages of transition, which can be applied to both organizational and personal change. He names the stages as:
1. Ending, Losing, Letting Go.
2. The Neutral Zone.
3. The New Beginning.
Seem backward to you? There is a rational for that! Bridges (p.5) states, "Because transition is a process by which people unplug from an old world and plug into a new world, we can say that transition starts with an ending and finishes with a beginning.” And you need to go through all three stages to navigate the change successfully!
Let’s break it down into some practical steps:
- Go easy on the self- criticism, give yourself a break, the time to learn and adjust to the new! .
- Establish structure and routines for yourself at work as much as possible so that you have a sense of consistency and familiarity to hold on to in these early days.
- Find a mentor at work. Look around at your co-workers, choose one that has the skills and talents that you aspire to and ask them to share their knowledge with you. Or ask your boss/supervisor to help you find one.(S1-3).
- Be prepared to find that the way you learned to do things in school may not be the way it actually gets done in the workplace! Thinking about how you will approach this type of situation when it arises will help you be prepared and decrease your stress level when it occurs. How will deal with a situation that may require you to compromise your standards?
- Be open to learning new ways of doing and being.
- Let your friends and family know that you are going through a time of change, which may impact how you are able to respond to their needs and expectations. Ask them for their support and let them know what that support looks like for you.
- Consider working with an Executive Coach who is experienced in supporting people through transitions.
- Stay the course. Depending on your profession it can take up to 6 months or more for you to become comfortable in your new environment, longer for you to feel competent in your new role. Hang in there you can do this!
Good luck on your journey!
Reference:
Bridges, W. (2005). Managing Transitions. (2nd ed). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press.
