How Careershifters has helped me make the shift to my dream job

Ever since I undertook voluntary work at University in an inner-city primary school, I knew deep down that I wanted to be a teacher. Being able to bring a smile to a child’s face when they realise they can do something is the best feeling ever. However, all my friends were aiming for careers in business, and with a management degree, I thought I should do the same. Plus, the thought of wearing designer suits, killer heels and strutting into swanky office was definitely appealing.

So, three years and six jobs later, I found myself sat in front of a computer for up to 9 hours a day in a stuffy office, writing reports on pet food sales in Scandinavia. It didn’t quite fit the image I had, but after going from to job as each one was never quite right, this was the best I’d found so far. In many of the moments of boredom, I’d find myself surfing the net, looking at the teacher training website or other education sites. But there were always reasons not to go for it – I should do a ‘proper’ career first, I didn’t want to feel like a failure, the next job would be better, my boss couldn’t possibly live without me, maybe next year, or the year after.

Then one day my friend sent me a link to the Careershifters website as she knew I wasn’t very happy in my job. As I began reading other people’s stories about changing careers and the advice about how to go about it, I started to get a bit excited - maybe changing jobs wasn’t that impossible. My friend and I decided to go along to one of the workshops to find out more. It was easy to get to and would be a nice evening out, if nothing more.

I can safely say now, that those two hours on a Tuesday evening in mid-June last year were the start of what has been the most amazing year for me. I found myself with at least 20 other people who were not happy in their jobs and didn’t quite know what to do about it. We had the opportunity to share and compare stories, hear some really useful advice from career coaches and hear from other people who had changed careers. It was also a great chance to swap business cards and career tips with the other people there – we all had an insight into different career paths after all.

I left the workshop absolutely buzzing, with ideas, enthusiasm and most importantly, the feeling that I had the power to change my life for the better. And I did, by the end of July, I’d handed in my notice and had secured a place on a teacher training course. Now, one year later, I’m coming to the end of my course and can’t wait to start my first teaching job. I wear flat shoes for comfort, and struggle into school laden with bags, books and an old, heavy laptop. But it’s worth it, knowing that I will have an exhilarating day ahead of me, when I’m never sure quite what is going to happen, apart from leaving every day with a sense of achievement and a big smile on my face.

A big thank you to Careershifters for helping me realise that I could change my career, and my life, for the better.