Career Pivot Strategies

How Richie went from depressed and burnt out in his 40’s to volunteering his way to an inspirational new career

By Karalyn Brown

Check out this career pivot strategy!

Sometimes you can truly believe you’ll never see your way out of a dark tunnel at work.

This happened to me.

I’m sharing this story as I know it will have happened to many of you too, and hopefully what I am about to share will help you if you don’t know what to do next.

When I was bullied in my corporate role, I felt stuck.

I felt I had nobody to confide in. I did not know what I wanted to do (and felt that nobody would hire me even if I did).

Such a toxic mix of emotions!

So, I embarked on a career pivot, starting with what I’ve just discovered is called a liminal period.

I did not have a master plan, so it was a little confusing – but through, volunteering, studying and side-hustling I emerged stronger on the other side and eventually entered into my own business.

It turns out that this path to a career pivot has a name. It’s called the career happenstance theory, and goes something like this.

If you want to make a change:

• Be aware of your surroundings” – it’s important to see opportunities and to keep your options open.
• “Take a risk, even with rejection as possible outcome” – trying is better than not trying at all. Not trying leads to lost opportunities
• “Be adaptable and open minded” – accept changes and engage with them. Say “yes” when you can, not when there’s no other option.

(Credit to this website for the above bullet points)

If you think you’ll be stuck in a dark hole forever and not sure how you’ll ever make a career pivot, let alone see the other side – watch this video to the end.

It’s with a dear friend of mine Richie who went through a dark period in his life, after being bullied at work.

Anxious, depressed, and burnt out in his 40’s he exited the corporate world and spent some time with his parents in Queensland. Through making the most of volunteering, finding advocates and saying yes to things rather than “I can’t do it” – he rebuilt his confidence and created an inspiring new career for himself.

Watch his career pivot story here.

It’s part of our daily #CareerCarePackage live video series.