Have you ever dreamed about walking in the door and declaring to your loved one “I quit work today”? I did that to my yet-to-be husband many years ago.

Was it everything I dreamed of?  Not really.  I had no other job to go to.  No income for the foreseeable future.  Although I had teaching qualifications, I had only ever worked in one other school and was burnt out, tired, anxious and depressed.  I hated the work, the hours, and the pressures of teaching.  I came to the point where I was doing no one any favours, especially the children,  by staying and being unhappy.

SO, how did I do it?  Luckily we didn’t have big commitments yet like a mortgage or kids, so I was able to wallow for a while and plan my wedding. This gave me some time to reflect on what I thought I would be good at, and where my interests were.

Looking back on my resume from that time, my transferable skills from teaching were extensive.

Teaching taught me how to speak confidently in public.  How to be organised with my time and plan ahead.  How to have tricky performance conversations. And importantly, how to deal with conflict and work as part of a team.

The role of a teacher is to research, analyse and re-present information in different formats.  Teachers need to account for the different audiences and learning styles, and keep meticulous records.  They must be up to date with technology, and have excellent written communication skills.

Sounds a bit like a job ad doesn’t it?

On top of this, I had to consider my own interests and skills.  I liked reading, cooking and going out to dinner.  All very worthy, but it was unlikely that someone would pay me to do them.

I thought for a while I might become a celebrant, because I’d seen a few recently and felt I could do it better.   Some research soon showed that it wasn’t that easy and you can only really perform ceremonies on the weekends when people are free.

I thought I could be an editor, because it looked easy and I could work from home.  I signed up to edit some “easy guides to…” and quickly realised I am a master procrastinator and flourish with a schedule and time frames.  I also love working collaboratively with people, and editing is not really a team sport.

What I really wanted was to help people.  At the time, we were helping a relative prepare his visa application, and I was doing some research for him. And I loved it.  And I found jobs that I never knew existed.  So, I started researching more, and found companies that did assessments for skilled migration.  In my researching, I found a company that was looking for new assessors. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Quitting all those years ago without a backup plan was risky and a bit silly in hindsight.  And I certainly wouldn’t recommend it unless you’ve got some resources to tide you over until something better comes along.  But it turned out to be life changing when I started paying attention to the little voice that keeps asking, “what if?”

What if I could get that promotion?

What if I could go back to study? Yes, even as a parent.  Even when working full-time.

What if I could be part of an awesome group of like-minded professionals that became your network?

What if I could find my dream career and set the wheels in motion to success?

That’s where Employment Avenues comes in.  We can help you with whatever your career needs to give it that little boost – to get you closer to your dream job.  Whether it’s building a professional network, going back to study, getting your résumé up to scratch for a promotion or new role, or starting out in a new city or country.

Having all the resources you could ever need in one place, this is a place to build your new networks, meet your next boss or colleagues and get the best career support to succeed, no matter what role you dream of.

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Don’t wait for the end of another year to start making the changes to your dream career.