Career change - is it too late?
The newsletter that starts with a question
Welcome to the third issue of About The Adventure newsletter, and to new subscribers! This week I sent out a poll on Twitter to see which of my ideas for a new blog post would be most interesting and useful to people. “Career change - isn’t it too late?” came out tops. I think it’s a really interesting topic to explore and I can’t wait to share my blog post with you.
To make this newsletter interactive, each week I will ask you an open question to think and write about. In previous issues I asked:
“What’s critical to resolve right now?”
“What impact is this having on your life?”
To follow on from these, my next question is:
What do you know you’ve been doing that’s prevented you from resolving this?
It would be really great if you can find some time to explore your answer to this question. If you only squeeze out a quick response or a couple of sentences, I invite you to inquire further. Sometimes it can help to say it out loud so if you can find someone to ask you the question while out on a walk or over a coffee then it might give more time and space to let your answers unfold.
You’re always welcome to share your thoughts or scribbles with me: sarah@sarahventurer.com
To receive another question next week please subscribe to my newsletter.
Exciting journeys through the world of work
Episode two of About The Adventure podcast is an interview with my friend Jon Maiden, Co-founder & CEO of Panjango. I first came across Jon when he was a guest on BBC Radio Sheffield - my ears pricked up when I heard him talking about microadventures as way of setting motivational goals. I looked him up online, emailed him, we met up in a pub in Sheffield for a couple of drinks, and we've stayed in touch ever since.
Whenever I meet up with Jon it’s his energy and passion that shines through. He’s on an ambitious mission - to transform the way that young people learn. Find out why and how by listening to our podcast episode. We talk about his career change, what happens behind the scenes at Panjango, and the importance of going to wild places. You can see the full list of questions that I asked him on my website.
What I really love about this episode is that Jon leaves us wanting more. He has so much to share about his work, the impact that he wants to make, and his adventures.
On my blog: Career change - is it too late?
I’m not here to tell you the answer or to say go for it and quit your job. I have written this new blog post so that you can explore some questions around this topic.
A few years ago I was assuming that it was too late for me to make a total career change and I didn’t even know what I wanted to do. It often seemed easier to bury my head in the sand and to just get on with the job I already had, but the big career questions kept coming back to niggle at me.
If, like me just a few years ago, you think it might be too late to take a career swerve but you’re still getting those niggles and itches to explore alternative options, then can you spend some time answering these questions?
The Questions
What state are you in most of the time?
Why do I think it might be too late?
Whose opinions really matter to me?
Am I willing to let other people’s opinions affect my decision-making?
How much more time am I willing to choose this work?
What impact is my job having on my life?
How can I best describe the career and lifestyle that I imagine for myself?
What’s going to happen if I stay put?
I’ve reflected on some of my answers to these questions in my blog post, then I invite you to join in too. You are very welcome to share your answers with me by email or we can go through them as a coaching session together.
Inviting you to take part
I’m designing this newsletter to be interactive, so that it’s not just something to be read and buried but also to take part in. I’d really like to encourage open discussions and opportunities for you to have a say in the content that I put together.
Here are a few ways to take part this week:
Put forward a question to ask Rachel Peru about her career change into modelling and hosting a podcast. Her interview will be published next week!
Join the discussion on: what’s your impression of coaching?
Share your responses to my coaching questions - they don’t need to by neat and tidy.
Leave a comment about what you’re enjoying, or what you’d like to see more of in this newsletter. Make suggestions for future topics or ask questions.
Coaching walk of the week
This is the local sheep hangout and a great spot for a brew! The rocks shelter me from the wind here and the view over the Hope Valley is really special. You can sit here feeling very hidden from the world as the trains roll by and birds swoop overhead.
I walked up here today to have lunch and practice my photography. I always enjoy a walk after I’ve been writing a blog post, it does me a lot of good to have a break from focusing for too long. That’s one thing that I’m really enjoying about writing this newsletter - it’s motivating me to improve my photography so that I can share my own images with each issue.
This walk up the Nab works really well for a short coaching session, for an hour or so. We usually take a nice steady pace going up as it’s quite steep, pause to take in the view at the top, and then head down the other side towards Ollerbrook clough and farm. It’s a route that I do regularly on my own walks and trailruns, as well as for coaching sessions.
I usually charge £25 for a session like this and there are options to make it a longer walk, whether that’s with me or on your own after our coaching session. Once you’re up here there’s not too much more ascent, so you can enjoy the skyline views untill you’re ready to head back into Edale.
As always, I offer flexible pricing so if you’re looking at this and thinking you’d love to book a session but it’s not affordable for you right now, please do still get in touch and let me know that you’re interested. If the Peak District is too far for you to travel at the moment then there’s also the option to book an online coaching session, or over the phone.
If you have any questions to ask me about my coaching work, or if you are interested in booking in a session together, please email sarah@sarahventurer.com and I’ll get back to you as quick as I can.
About The Adventure Newsletter
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Let me know what you’re up to this weekend - any adventures in the making?