What work have been you doing beforehand?
I used to be working as a Senior Administrator at a neighborhood College within the European Languages part, earlier than transferring to the position of Yr Overseas Officer, managing research overseas schemes.
All our languages college students spent the third yr of their diploma within the nation/international locations of the language/languages they have been learning in.
Brexit, then Covid, then leaving the Erasmus research overseas scheme made equal entry for all college students to work/research overseas very difficult. Putin invading Ukraine actually narrowed our Russian research overseas choices, too.
What are you doing now?
I work part-time as an animal care assistant at a cat rescue.
It’s a charity that appears after as much as 150 cats at anybody time, and the work could be very guide. I clear, feed and administer treatment to the cats. I’ve additionally began serving to present doable adopters the cats, and going out on trapping and restoration journeys.
I volunteer with the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, a charity that opens non-public gardens as much as the general public for a day or two in assist of different charities.
I do the administration for his or her quarterly board conferences and AGM, so not an enormous dedication, however I initially studied horticulture so it’s good to be again among the many plant individuals.
I additionally volunteer at my area people backyard, who do a variety of nice work with a backyard, café, bicycle and wooden workshops, and seasonal occasions.
How did you’re feeling in your work earlier than you determined to make the change?
Trapped and drained.
I felt a relentless sense of imposter syndrome and all the things unraveling uncontrolled. My colleagues have been pretty, pretty individuals and so supportive, however I more and more felt like I needed to fake to be okay once I actually wasn’t.
It was reassuring that after I left, they needed to rent two individuals to switch me, so I lastly realised the workload was unmanageable.
It wasn’t me, it was the job.
Why did you modify?
I had a breakdown and needed to take six weeks off, after I ended up simply sitting crying at my pc.
This has occurred to me in earlier roles earlier than, however I by no means took break day, I simply resigned. Then I would lurch into one other profession at floor zero and find yourself a couple of years later able of duty I didn’t need however felt anticipated to take. Then crash and begin once more.
When was the second you determined to make the change?
After I returned from sick depart, I had a phased return and checked out what modifications I might make to allow me to hold on with the job with out wrecking myself within the course of.
I got here to see that it wasn’t me, it was the job. Over the Christmas break I realised there was nothing I loved about it.
The one factor that gave me pleasure was the considered not having to return to the job, though I had no thought what I would do subsequent as an alternative.
How did you select your new profession?
I took half within the Profession Change Launch Pad.
The workouts within the course helped remind me that I appreciated to work outdoors, with or close to nature, and that I get pleasure from serving to individuals.
I wasn’t prepared to return right into a customer support position, however I like cats so once I noticed the job advert it was as if it had been designed particularly for me.
Half-time work additionally has by no means been on my radar, however my psychological well being meant that it’s a viable choice and there isn’t any “obligation” to work full-time for giant bucks.
Are you proud of the change?
I’m.
I do know I’ll have to problem myself to department out into both extra work in the identical space or one thing else to handle financially in the long run.
The work can also be bodily, so I’ve needed to handle my health and do physio for my again.
However I like the cats and as an alternative of being embarrassed about my job, I pro-actively inform individuals about it.
It provides me pleasure.
What do you miss and what do not you miss?
I miss the people I labored with straight as we actually gelled, however I nonetheless see them socially.
I don’t miss the 100 emails a day about 1,000,000 tiny catastrophes that I can’t resolve, or the fixed feeling that nothing is ever getting completed or carried out correctly.
How did you go about making the shift?
I gave myself loads of time to only get pleasure from being me.
I had some informational interviews that basically shone a light-weight on what I did and didn’t wish to do subsequent.
After I noticed the job marketed, I had some reservations about making use of for it however realised that I did need it.
It took them a few month for them to get again to me, and in that point I assumed “that’s that, I haven’t been chosen for interview”. That made me realise that I’d actually wished it.
So I used to be delighted to be invited in for an interview, and I began that very same week.
How did you deal with your funds to make your shift doable?
That is nonetheless a piece in progress.
I’m very lucky to have a accomplice who’s prepared and in a position to subsidise the house financial system. I couldn’t survive financially with out his assist and utilizing my financial savings.
I reasoned that that is precisely the wet day that my financial savings have been for, and had banked on residing off them for about 6 months, which has been eased by getting some earnings from the job.
I’ll nonetheless have to get some additional earnings.
What was essentially the most troublesome factor about altering?
Letting go of the monetary safety and the skilled id that I had related to the College job.
With none clear thought of what I would do subsequent, it was a bit like that bit in Indiana Jones and The Final Campaign the place he steps out into the abyss with solely his religion to depend on. That religion had to be in me now.
What assist did you get? 
My shut good friend had taken a yr out beginning about six months earlier than me, so we supplied mutual assist.
I bought counselling for my psychological well being points and my household has been very supportive and problem any negativity I carry to the celebration.
The Careershifters group has been very supportive, and I’m nonetheless involved with a few different Profession Change Launch Pad alumni.
What sources would you advocate to others?
The Profession Change Launch Pad covers just about all of it, however I’d say for those who really feel that there’s some psychological block holding you again don’t be afraid to get counselling.
What have you ever learnt within the course of?
To hearken to what I really need, and to imagine that my ideas are necessary.
I’m slowly coming to phrases with the truth that I can’t really see round each nook or into the longer term!
And I’m making an attempt to give attention to having fun with the now fairly than making an attempt to race to the tip.
What would you advise others to do in the identical state of affairs?
Pay attention fastidiously to what your coronary heart needs after which having heard it, don’t dismiss it as unimportant.
We caught up with Fiona not too long ago to see how her shift was understanding, 2 years on. This is what she’s been as much as, and the largest classes she’s discovered.
What’s modified for you in your profession since we first printed your story?
I’ve moved from animal care affiliate to social care.
I now assist a girl to reside independently in her own residence. It is nonetheless half time, however the shifts are 24 hours lengthy so really doing two shifts every week is like full time hours.
I did get pleasure from working on the cat rescue, however wanted extra hours and the assist I wanted to really feel a part of a workforce wasn’t there. It was a very good workforce of folks, however the calls for of a rescue meant that all the things was a bit haphazard and communication with employees wasn’t good.
I would thought of social care earlier than and located a neighborhood charity organisation who provide assist to the group. They supplied an 8-week paid coaching course which actually appealed to me as I prefer to “have all the knowledge” earlier than beginning one thing new.
The present course had already began however I used to be taken on instantly and was in a position to do shadow shifts and attend the coaching programs.
How do you’re feeling about your work now?
I’ve been doing it for 2 years now and really feel very proud to be working in Social Care.
It is a massively necessary job. We work carefully with medical professionals and social work however are sometimes considered unskilled labour when this might not be farther from the reality.
We should be all issues to the individuals we assist and it is a very demanding job, each bodily and mentally. Usually, we’re nearer to the individual than their very own household. That’s unhappy, however a truth of recent life.
What challenges have you ever come up in opposition to since making your shift, and the way precisely have you ever handled them?
Completely large challenges.
I would hoped to do the 8-week coaching course earlier than really beginning, however was thrown in considerably on the deep finish. The woman I work with has fairly advanced assist wants so I wanted to familiarize yourself with treatment, transferring and aiding and communication.
To start with, it was a bit like studying to drive the place you’re feeling that it is unimaginable to do all this stuff concurrently. File retaining is a big a part of the job, noting when medicines have been taken and recording what the individual has carried out within the day.
I actually struggled to maintain up with this initially. As soon as I bought to grips with the system, (phone-based) it grew to become rather a lot simpler. I realised that I might say to the girl what I used to be doing – open communication has been an enormous studying curve for me.
Private boundaries have been an enormous problem for me and I’ve solely not too long ago realised that that is one thing I carry with me to each job.
The sensation that I’m someway answerable for all the things and that I have to do 150% on a regular basis. Even the best success can be a failure as a result of “why didn’t you…” A good friend identified that the majority folks are very proud of 70%, that’s an A, in spite of everything.
In supporting an individual to reside their life, it’s important to allow them to make the selections, even for those who disagree with them. Clearly, you’ve an obligation of care to maintain them secure, but when they wish to say, exit with no coat when you’ve already suggested that it’ll rain later, that’s their selection.
I should be there even when the individual is having a nasty day. I can’t forestall that and if somebody is in a nasty temper or upset that’s their proper and I can solely assist them by it, not cease it from occurring.
As a power fixer, this was very troublesome for me however once more it comes right down to speaking what you’re feeling fairly than second guessing.
How is the monetary facet of issues panning out, and is that this what you’d anticipated?
After I first began my shift, I labored out how a lot I wanted to reside on.
The work on the cat rescue solely hit this if I bought additional shifts which have been by no means assured. There was discuss of standard shifts, however this by no means materialised and I realised that I didn’t care sufficient to chase it up.
The workforce I work with now type out our personal rotas so I can choose up additional shifts if wanted. I typically find yourself doing extra shifts than I meant to as a result of I am nonetheless a individuals pleaser at coronary heart.
The pay, whereas not nice for the extent of labor requested for, now covers my bills and has allowed me to start out saving a bit right here and there.
I nonetheless fear about not having sufficient and I’m by no means going to be a millionaire, however even when I really simply did my hours, I’d have the essential quantity I wanted.
What have you ever discovered, since making your shift?
In my final submit, I stated that it was the job, not me that was mistaken and whereas a part of that definitely was true, a big a part of it WAS really me.
I’ve now found the facility of claiming what you need and the way you’re feeling. I’ve by no means carried out this earlier than in my whole life as I felt that my emotions weren’t legitimate.
I returned to counselling as a result of I felt a return to the spiralling into dread and imposter syndrome. I am working by listening to my very own emotions.
A lot of my work is listening – not simply to what an individual is saying, but additionally what their physique and actions are saying. Listening to that and accepting it with out making an attempt to repair it or put my very own spin on it. However I by no means did this with myself.
One of many hardest elements of the Careershifters journey was deciding what I wished as I had by no means requested myself that earlier than and didn’t know the best way to even begin.
My colleagues are all youthful than me by about 15 years. They’re a lot extra open about what they need and have to really feel comfy. It has made me realise that my very own selections have been fairly often colored by what I assumed different individuals wished.
It is nonetheless very troublesome for me to do as years of conditioning can’t be undone in a day, however at the very least it is now an choice.
Fiona took half in our Profession Change Launch Pad. In the event you’re prepared to affix a bunch of shiny, motivated profession changers on a structured programme that can assist you discover extra fulfilling work, you could find out extra right here.
What classes might you’re taking from Fiona’s story to make use of in your individual profession change? Tell us within the feedback under.