Do You Want to Make a Career Pivot or a Career Change?

You’ve studied hard, worked even harder, and burnt the midnight oil more often than you’d care to remember in order to reach your career goals.

You aced the interview, snagged that dream job, and worked your way up the ladder. You’ve got the house with the picket fence (or a snazzy apartment), a car or two in the garage, a couple of kids, and maybe even a pet or two too. Life’s looking rosy and going uphill.

So, why then does it feel like something is missing from your life? Why do you feel like you’re stuck and don’t know how to go forward? 

You thought it would be a passing phase but it’s been stuck there in the back of your mind- the constant feeling that doesn’t seem to go away. Often people experience the feeling of being stuck if they’ve been working towards goals that don't align with who they are or what they truly desire. 

You may be at a dead-end in your job or maybe you recognize that you could maximize your potential elsewhere. As nerve-racking, as it might be to leave your job, staying can be even worse. Especially if you’re dragging yourself to work each day and hate the thought of going back to “that same damn place” every day. 

You know that you want to move from your current position but you don’t know whether you want to make a career pivot or a career change. I mean, what’s the difference between the two things anyway. They’re basically the same, right? NOPE!

What’s a Career Pivot?

A career pivot is a change of direction within an industry or field. While people use it interchangeably with a career change, a pivot typically isn't a total career change. Rather, it uses the experiences, skills, and accomplishments you've acquired in your professional life so far and applies them to a new position within the same field. Career pivoting is a choice that many perceive as a viable means of keeping their professions interesting.

Orchestrating this pivot successfully could enhance and expand your skill set and enhance your capacity with existing skills while simultaneously permitting you to develop in a different but relevant professional direction.

A career pivot doesn’t require you to restart at the bottom of the ladder. It helps ensure you maintain a similar level and usually a similar (and sometimes, even higher) pay grade too. 

When it comes to a career pivot, you might be ready to move on from your existing position for various reasons. A pivot implies changing something essential regarding your career, for instance, the position, the company size, and the company structure. To succeed in a pivot, you should know where you’ll ultimately like to land.

Basically, a career pivot is for people who want to use their existing skills and experience within the same industry but in a different position within that industry. For example, a litigator deciding to work as in-house counsel for a corporation is a career pivot, not a career change. They’re still an attorney but they’re applying their skills in a different area of the law. 

Making A Career Change

A career change involves taking a different role in a different field. A career change is a process you undertake once you recognize the career or job you have isn't working for you. A career change can equally be about moving on and regardless of the duration it takes and finding a career you're passionate about. People consider a career change for various reasons, including changed values, room to concentrate on other things, unhappiness, more money, etc.

To continue my example of the litigator from before, a litigator who decides to open a wine shop is making a career change. While they may use some of their legal skills for their business, they’ve fundamentally changed their profession. 

When it comes to change, most of us are frequently hesitant. We prefer the comfort of familiarity. Ironically, we fail to realize that change is the only constant in life, and this includes career change.

Change can be particularly stressful when it comes time to leave a job. You’ve established routines, habits, processes, and even bonds, and moving away from all of them can definitely seem daunting but it’s very doable. 

Whether you want to make a career pivot or a career change, you need to take a close look at why you’re dissatisfied with your current position. Then look at what your options are and whether you want to start with a career pivot or make the big move to making a career change. In either case, I’m here to help you make that decision and take the steps needed to make the right decision for the next step in your career. Check out my career transition services and let’s get you on the path to career fulfillment!