Advice from a career counselor to prepare for the second act.
The labor department now suggests the average number of jobs that a person will have in their lifetime is ten to fourteen. The average number of careers is five to seven. Some career change is by choice, others by circumstances out of our control. I had a chance to speak with Angela Illig, the Coordinator for Career Education and a career counselor at George Mason University. In that position, she's found that between twenty to thirty percent of the people she counsels are seeking "second acts".
Do you have any stories of unusual or very non traditional career changes?
I worked with a former dancer, who after years of performing on stage, decided to pursue law school. In addition to holding a principal dancer position, he was responsible for negotiating contracts within his dance company, on behalf of his fellow dancers. His desire to pursue law school resulted from his awareness that he'd only be able to perform physically for a couple of more years, before his knees gave out, and the recent birth of his baby boy. His ability to negotiate and discuss laws as well as his devotion, discipline, and drive for dance were all applicable and valuable assets for succeeding in the field of law.
When people look to reinvent their careers, what do you find is their priority? (Money, personal satisfaction, giving back)?
Most often, I find that people who are reinventing their careers are doing so because of a desire to pursue work that is value-oriented and related to personal satisfaction. Perhaps a person "had" to work to make a certain income for several years for himself/herself and/or family members. Now they may be able to pursue work they personally enjoy, and are eager to engage in that part of their lives. Sometimes, people have been pursuing additional education for several years, and upon completion of a particular degree, they are ready to pursue a new career in the next stage of their lives. I also see people reinvent their careers because they have identified, perhaps by trial and error in the employment world, or with advanced maturity, (called career maturity), which careers are most suited to their skills and career satisfaction. It may have taken a few years or many years of existing in the workplace for them to feel comfortable with solidifying these transitions.
At George Mason University, what's the percentage of people who are seeking a second act vs. starting their first career?
I'm going to surmise that between 20-30% of students/alumni are seeking a second act. (We have many nontraditional students, full-time, and part-time students already working full-time in the community while attending Mason for a degree. Additionally, we have military veterans returning to campus to utilize their veteran benefits and alumni seeking to re-career after just a few years or perhaps many years.) The remaining 70-80% of the student population are seeking their first careers beyond Mason, and have held part-time and summer jobs, and have pursued internships, up until the point of graduation.
What is the age of the average person looking to reinvent his or her career?
This is again a difficult question to answer as our student and alumni population varies, and a multitude of students with varying ages utilize our resources. I am going to estimate that I probably see more people between the ages of 30-55 reinventing their career at Mason.
Do you find that the people you counsel choose something completely different from what they've done before?
I believe that if people have worked for years in a position in order to make a living or support themselves or family, they generally do re-career in a position very different from their previous career, the reason being that they are choosing that second career for a very different reason than they chose the first. For other people who are looking to reinvent their career, if they chose a position the first time based upon their skills, interests, and abilities, then they may choose a career similarly in line with their original interests and within the same career field. For example, I worked with one alumna who had taught music for the last 20 years and wanted to transition into working full-time for themselves, operating a music education business and offering lessons from their home. They desired newly updated resume materials to reflect their future goals as well as marketing tips or places to seek out advertising advice for growing their new business.
How do you show people how to hold on to what they have already learned and bring that experience to a new career?
Often, we start with a discussion about the person's background, interests, and career history. A quick resume review helps me to identify potential skills and experiences that can be further utilized in the new workplace as well. I will encourage a discussion that addresses how the skills they have been building for various years will be priceless in the new workplace. I also utilize exercises that help clients assess their honed skills, further identify their most valued skills, and then recommend adding these skills in an updated resume and interview practice. Further interview preparation provides the opportunity for people to practice discussing scenarios that demonstrate how their experiences will aid them in a new position.
Do people come into your office not knowing what they want? How do you help those people?
People do visit our office having a desire to move forward in a new career path, uncertain of which career path to pursue. Sometimes, younger professionals are not sure which of many positions they may want to pursue first, or in the next few years beyond graduation from Mason.
I consider career selection to be a two part process. First, understanding self (interests, values, skills that you'd like to use in the world, work environment preference) is important. Additionally, having a clear understanding of currently available positions and requirements for those positions in the working world is critical too, in order to select fitting employment opportunities. The complementing of the two steps creates enhanced career satisfaction.
As the economy gets better, is there a belief that more people will start to explore new careers?
I don't have statistical data to share, but I believe the rapidly changing nature of our world will cause many people to continue to seek out new career opportunities. Green jobs are on the rise, people are creating home businesses that fit their personal needs and interests (dog walking businesses, for example), and the need for global flexibility is ever-increasing. A good number of people are waiting to retire or holding on to a job they currently disapprove of, with hope that a better position will come along in a stronger economy. Pickings are slim now, but if work options grow, so will people's curiosity.
Is there anything you want to add that I may have missed?
As we change, adapt, and grow in our lifetimes, we constantly take in new information that better informs us of our worlds and ourselves, and we continue to adjust our career decisions accordingly. I use the Career Decision Making Model, a visual representation of the steps that we take when exploring new careers, to help people understand that we tend to cycle through this process several times in our career lifetimes.
Steps for the model include:
1. Knowing yourself (interests, values, skills)
2. Generating Possibilities (Consider occupations, educational opportunities that may be a good fit for you)
3. Exploring Your Options (Gather information and conduct research to make an informed decision)
4. Making a Choice (Consider the advantages/disadvantages of each option. Then commit to a choice)
5. Planning/Acting (Define your goal and steps/actions necessary to achieve it)
6. Assessing Your Progress (Ask: Are you making progress toward achieving your goal? Has anything changed that would impact your decision? Evaluate, modify plans.
About Angela Illig;
Angela Illig, MS, National Certified Counselor
Angela is the Coordinator for Career Education and career counselor. Prior to coming to Mason, Angela held various career counselor and academic advisor roles, serving most recently as a pre-law advisor and liberal arts career counselor, and later as Assistant Director of Career Services for an International Affairs graduate program. She has also worked as a corporate recruiter, serving the needs of national fortune 500 companies. Angela received her bachelor's degree in Business and Communication from Juniata College, her master's degree in Higher Education Administration and Counseling from Syracuse University, and a certificate in Conflict Resolution from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where she taught career and mediation courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
