Changing careers is hard and can feel impossible. In this podcast my guest is Jill, who spent 25 years working in nursing, followed by 10 years in customer service (in the life science industry) and has recently achieved her life-long ambition of becoming a librarian. Join us to hear the reasons behind her career changes, how she came to choosing a course (for her most recent transition) and her advice to those wanting to make a change.
Podcast Transcript
[Intro music] Instrumental music with a hip-hop vibe. Music: North Oakland Extasy by Squadda B, via YouTube Audio Library.
[Belinda]:
There was a time, not that long ago, when people tended to stay in one profession or with one company their whole working life. These days, this is a lot harder to achieve. The emergence of new jobs and new industries, work becoming more stressful, work-life balance being thrown out of whack are perhaps some of the reasons behind this.
Today we’re talking about career transitions, career changes. Our special guest is Jill, who has experienced some major career changes over the years. She has kindly agreed to share some of her experiences with us.
Hi Jill. Welcome to the podcast.
Can you share with us some of the reasons behind the different career transitions you’ve made?
[Jill]:
I spent 25 years working as a nurse. First off, as a general nurse and then specialising in orthopaedics. And then moving into being a midwife after re-training. It was a really good job. I loved it. It fitted around family. Working shift-work, I was able to do night duty while I was working as a midwife.
But then the kids got older. Demands of the family changed. I don’t know about anyone else, but I made the mistake of thinking that when my kids were little, they really needed me around and that they would be okay when they were older. But it’s actually the reverse. They need you there more when they’re older. I felt that I had to change my work so that I could support my children more.
I was able to change up my midwifery for wound care specialist as a hospital-in-the-home nurse. So for several years I did that. And then I finally decided that I’d had enough of nursing.
I’d always promised myself that if the day ever came that I was doing something with a patient, and I found myself thinking, just be quiet and do what you’re told, get on with it, that that would be the day I’d have to walk away. Because that’s the day that the relationship between a professional healthcare worker and a patient is at risk.
And I thought that working in an office might be nice and it turned out that my niece was working with a life science company. And at her urging, I applied for a job. I didn’t get it, but then I got called back for a different role, which was working independently for an overseas portion of the company.
For 10 years, I did that. The company changed and grew and altered. The environment that the company wanted to be placed in (for the future) was one that I wasn’t comfortable with. It was time to look at something else.
So for me there was a period of time where I was asking myself the question, well what do you really want to do, what are you good at? And I worked out, well, I’ve always been really good at connecting people with information. The work with the life science company was very largely that.
And then I thought, I love reading. I love reading. Love books. And I had wanted to be a librarian a long time ago. But back when I was a young girl, parents had more of a say and more sway in what you picked. And if they were funding the exercise, then you kind of went where they said you went. Let’s have a go at librarianship!
[Belinda]:
I’ve been thinking about this a lot over the years – the different pathways into professions. What made you decide on doing further study (for the library career)?
[Jill]:
There’s certificate III. There’s certificate IV. And there’s a degree, then your masters and your doctorate.
And when I applied to do my course, I’d already had two degrees under my belt [in another discipline]. And I was asked why I wasn’t doing a masters.
And I said, “Well, I’d have to do the degree first to get into the masters. And I don’t feel that I know enough about information management to just step into a masters.”
And I really wanted to get into the field very quickly. At my age as well, being over 40, I felt it was a bit dodgy, a bit risky. But then I thought, well if it works, it works. If doesn’t then I’ll just have to deal with that at the end of the course and if I can’t get a job.
So I decided for the middle road, which was a diploma.
[Belinda]:
Just curious whether the whole timing of the pandemic, like did you think oh no, this is bad timing? You’ve just left a very stable job, you’re transitioning and then the pandemic hits.
[Jill]:
In my la-la land world, pre-COVID, I thought, I can study two days a week … I can work a couple of days a week part-time. I’ll get a little job working at a shop somewhere close to home. And there were lots of places that were advertising.
Then all of a sudden the entire landscape changed overnight. And we went from two wages down to one.
But because I was at home, I wasn’t travelling anywhere. My course was deferred and paid for by a student loan. And because I was basically on a computer for two days a week, and the rest of the time was research and study online. During lockdown, I got to discover how much information I could access from a computer point.
[Belinda]:
What do you love about your job now and what has been the biggest surprise?
[Jill]:
What I love about my job is that I feel like I’ve been doing it for 100 years. I feel like it’s a natural fit.
But the biggest surprise is that I slotted in. I fitted in straightaway.
I’ve had my work colleagues tell me that it feels like I’ve been there for a long time, that I’ve fitted into the team so well. And that’s been the biggest surprise of all. Because I must admit, in my other jobs it took a long time for me to feel comfortable, psychologically comfortable. And I don’t know if that’s down to just the team or a combination of personalities; I’m where I want to be; it’s the job; it’s the variety … I don’t know.
[Belinda]:
What advice would you give to people thinking about a career change?
[Jill]:
The advice for people thinking about changing a career is do your research. Get to know people who are in the field. Or at least do some research into what sort of environment you’re working in.
Get online. Look at people’s websites. Check out LinkedIn. Check out all the stuff that’s there.
And when it came to applying for the job, there was a little comment that said, “if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ring, we’d be happy to help.”
So I rang. I actually asked them questions about what sort of things did they expect from the person who would fill that role? What sort of participation in the organisation did they see that person taking?
I was told, “well it sounds like you’ve got everything we need. Apply. By all means apply. We’d love to see your application.”
I went though the interview process. I was offered the job a week later.
I would have applied for about 50 jobs in three months.
The other thing I would say is to keep on listening to that little voice that says, I want to do something different. Because sooner or later, you’re going to ask yourself, what am I doing here?
And if it’s just because it’s the same path that you’ve walked every day for umpteen years. And because it’s comfortable. And because it’s financially rewarding. Is that enough for you?
[Belinda]:
We’re so grateful, Jill, for the insight that you’ve shared with us today. Thank you.
The conversation doesn’t have to end here. Comments are always welcome. Also, if you have topic suggestions, please go to the Contact page of my website and leave a message.
[Outro music] Instrumental music with a chilled vibe. Music: Sunday Rain by Cheel, via YouTube Audio Library.
Podcast recorded with Jill’s permission.
Careers, Personal Development and More 