3 Things to Keep in Mind During Your Career Transition

Many of us dream of making a career transition, but actually making the change can be a daunting task. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you navigate the rough waters of a career change:

1. Anxiety Is Normal

Once the excitement of landing a job in your new career has worn off, you may find yourself lying awake a night, wondering if you’re really up for the challenge.

Know that it is totally normal to have a certain amount of anxiety when making such a big change. Trust that you’ve made the right decision. Remember that all your success in your previous career wasn’t achieved in a day, but after lots of learning and doing. The same will be true of your new career.

2. You May Mourn Your Old Job

Leaving behind something stable, even something you were ready to walk away from, is never easy. Often, our sense of self is deeply related to the work we do, and a career transition can feel like a challenge to our identity. Know that feelings of sadness may arise, but that doesn’t mean you’ve made a mistake. It’s just part of the process.

3. It’s Okay If It’s Not For You

Hopefully you love your career transition. If you don’t, however, there’s no reason to beat yourself up over your decision. If you didn’t go for it and make the change, you probably would have regretted never giving it a shot.

Remember that going back to your old career is always an option. In fact, you may have a newfound passion for it now that you’ve left. Let’s call this a win-win. You followed your desires, made an informed decision, and have renewed your passion for your career.

Nothing needs to be permanent unless you want it to be. You’re a rock star for being brave enough to make a change, and even more of one for being able to admit it’s not the change you wanted.

A version of this article originally appeared on the Atrium Staffing blog.

Michele Mavi is Atrium Staffing ‘s resident career expert.