It’s time to make our work-lives better

Ali Whelan - Career Coach & Development Trainer

‘You’re going to give up a £40k+ job, with full benefits and take VR, to become self-employed at the age of 50?...I can’t decide if that’s brave or completely b****y stupid!’

I heard that alot in 2019 and the funny thing is, I’d spent the previous 3 years internally fighting with how stupid the concept of refocusing my career and making this move sounded in my head.

After a fairly erratic hospitality career in my 20’s/30’s, I’d spent 11 years working my butt off, studying evenings and weekends, working full-time and focussing fully on carving out the ‘grown-up’ and ‘responsible’ HR career everyone told me I needed and should be working towards. I’d convinced myself it was the thing I needed because it made sense…in theory.

Full-time, solid career path role with good salary and benefits in a reputable and ‘stable’ organisation - 100% the sensible option.

And I gave it my all, but yet I always felt like I was swimming against the tide. I just didn’t seem to think like most of the people I was surrounded by in the working world. They were lovely people but their priorities in life just felt so alien to mine and I constantly felt like I was using all my energy just to fit in. I adopted their language, I held back on my opinions, I collected the paycheck and I felt quietly miserable.

Suddenly, faced with the big 5-0 looming it just became clear. I had two choices.

Stick with the safe, practical and obvious option and let life swallow me up in misery or be bold, take the opportunity in front of me and start doing what felt exciting, good and right, even if it was scary as hell.

I started my business in 2020 (yep, bang in the middle of the pandemic). I began by focussing on career coaching alongside development training. It felt like the obvious initial choice to build an income (although maybe not in the middle of a lockdown!). It was a tad terrifying, a lot exciting and the most massive learning experience I think I’ve ever encountered.

Just a few things I’ve learned…

Your friends and family may not understand your choice or your business (my mum still asks when I’m going back to work and getting a proper job) but that’s ok - they don’t need to understand, don’t waste energy trying to sell it to them.

It can be hellishly lonely starting a business but you can also make the most amazing connections, friendships and support networks via SM these days.

Tech can be your best friend and worst enemy, all in one day.

Making decisions based on what feels right for you at any given time is ridiculously unsettling and totally liberating at the same time. My longer term aim for being self-employed was always to develop a portfolio career, working in various areas rather than one narrow job role. In all honesty, I’ve never quite worked out if that decision is because I crave variety or if I just don’t actually know what I want to do. But you know what? I don’t feel like I need to know what I want to do. Over the last two years I’ve followed a path of opportunity. When something presents, I take it for what it is and decide if it has value and purpose for me at that given time. If yes, I say yes. If no, I say no! And that feels indescribably good.

In the last two years I’ve done a whole mix of things…

Coached various individuals on their careers - delivered training workshops to Degree students, PhD students, GP surgery staff, a womens menopause group, Afghan interpreters, university administration and academic staff - trained and acted as a financial educator -sold quality chocolate and Body Shop products - acted as Project Manager on a fixed term project - undertaken an HR consultancy role - taken a part-time role as a Resourcing Adviser and now I’m studying to become an Independent Travel Agent…well, why not?

This degree of variety isn’t for everyone but it works for me and that’s the key. If it lights your fire, it feels right for you and gives you that sense of energy, excitement and purpose, don’t walk away from it just because it isn’t the obvious option.

I’m not suggesting everyone throw caution to the wind, ditch their jobs and just trust that the Universe will provide - I’ve not nailed the art of manifestation to that extent and we all need to keep an income coming in, but I am encouraging everyone to start paying attention to what feels right and good and to actually follow those instincts more. The beauty of this approach is that you can balance ALL your needs and desires at any given time, by switching up your choices when you need or want to.

Yes, it’ll feel scary - yes, it’ll feel alien to start with and yes, you’ll second guess yourself more often than not to start with but will it be worth it… well, it has been for me and I believe it can be for you.