Many people start a
new career, unintentionally, by developing new areas of expertise on the side
while still working full-time in their current jobs. They experience a deepening
commitment to the new area over time and find themselves devoting more and more
time to that realm. Only later do they have to decide whether to abandon the old
path in order to follow the new course.
Many professionals and executives work on pet projects or
outside activities that, overtime, take on a life of their own. Among lawyers,
investment bankers, accountants and consultants who, for instance, have moved
into different sectors, intriguing possibilities often materialize from new
clients, pro bono projects, and board membership. By the time the actual break
occurs, the "new" is well defined and the decision is informed by the fact that
the new career is already launched.
But not every job allows the kind of flexibility needed to
plunge into one or more side projects. For many of our clients, an exploration
phase simply consists of networking, applying for jobs, looking at postings, or
talking to headhunters (although few, if any, recruitment agents of any kind
will do more than pigeonhole you). As clients narrow the search, they might use
temporary assignments, short-term posts, outside contracts, advisory work and
moonlighting to get experience or build new skills or experience in a new
industry.
