Never feel guilty about changing careers

When I’ve spoken to clients and students, and even in my own career, I’ve found that the thing that often holds us back from making a change is loyalty. This is especially true for women, who are often raised in society to feel grateful for anything, to take what they are given, not ask for more, and not complain. When a company has given you your first job or a new job, trained you, promoted you (sometimes in tasks, rather than title), or kept you on the line with minimal pay rises for months or even years, it can feel rude, disloyal, or even greedy to change jobs or change careers. You want to show that you appreciate the time, effort, and trust they’ve put in you, you don’t want to rock the boat or create conflict, and you don’t want anyone to hate you or speak badly about you. And this keeps so many of us women stuck in a job, team, workplace, or career for months, years, and sometimes even decades longer than we should be.

Because I had five careers by the age of 35, I know a thing or two about loyalty. Many times in my career journey loyalty pangs have cropped up – almost every step of the way – before I moved through them to make my career changes. Like the time I felt guilty about leaving my first job in a cafe after 6 years even though my boss had stopped giving me shifts the entire summer. Or the time I felt guilty about leaving the company who’d given me my start in corporate with a graduate program because I felt stuck and stifled and felt underpaid and overlooked. Or the time I felt guilty about leaving my amazing leader who’d given me my first role in Change Management even though the company had restructured, our roles had changed and the commute was killing me, and moved to day rate contracting. I’ve had to overcome feelings of guilt and disloyalty many, many times.

But moving through the discomfort was worth it and I’m so grateful I did it. 

Especially making that tough decision after my graduate program to change companies as it put me on the path to a completely new career, calling, and life:

• Within three years, I had tripled my salary to earning almost $200,000.
• Within four years, I was working four days a week and on track to paying my property off in record time.
• Within five years, I was living in the heart of the Sydney CBD in a beautiful big apartment with a garden terrace, concierge, pool, spa, sauna, and library.
• And throughout, I had stepped into my leadership and my light doing work I loved in Change Management, leading change for a variety of projects from new products and operating models, to digital transformations and culture changes, to new ways of working and capability, with some of Australia’s biggest companies.

Moving to contract work in Change Management took loyalty out of the picture for me. I was signing on to six-month contracts not fixed-term or permanent positions, and was essentially a casual or contingent worker. It gave me the freedom to fully commit and be loyal to a company while in the contract, but owe them nothing beyond (though every employer offered to renew my contract or keep me longer!).

In my 5 career changes from Hospitality to Advertising, Advertising to Marketing, Marketing to Change Management, and Change Management to Consulting (with a side hustle in Coaching concurrently along the way), I’d increased my salary every time I’d changed careers. But it took courage, confidence and commitment.

You have to choose yourself.

You have to back yourself.

You have to treat yourself like a business.

Because your company will take and take.

It will keep your pay the same.

Your title unchanged.

Your workload piling up.

Your responsibilities ever-increasing, without reward or recognition. 

No one owns my career but me. No one is responsible for my career choices except me. It’s my life and my livelihood, no one else’s. And you own your career and choices, life and livelihood, too. 

Your company is treating themselves like a business and that is right. Look for career support and guidance, skill development and confidence, outside your workplace because your employer has a vested interest in keeping you where you are – in the pay, role, and level you accept every time you rock up to work. Don’t get angry at them – you keep keeping up your side of the agreement!

So never feel guilty about changing careers. No one owes you anything. Save your loyalty for the most important person in your life: you. 

My passion is helping you find financial abundance, flexibility and freedom, set your career and life up on your terms, and step into your leadership and your light. I’ve done it myself and I believe you can do it, too. You can have the career you want, earn what you know you’re worth, and do it confidently in a way that feels authentic to you. 

And if that career involves change leadership, come and join my “Leading Successful Change” program. The invitation period for my March Group Cohort closes tonight Tuesday 25 March at 8.00pm AEDT (Sydney time).

CLICK HERE to join my March Group Cohort for Leading Successful Change.

Lata xx