Listen to Your Gut: How to Intuitively Navigate Your Career Change [PART 1]

Ever get that sinking feeling in your stomach? You know what I’m talking about: something you see or hear sets off a pang in your stomach that says “this isn’t quite right” or “this is exactly what I have to do.” Your gut feeling is precisely that: a feeling you get right in your belly, known to some as a physical manifestation of your intuition. 

When I read through and look back on my book, Don’t Stay In Your Lane, I see mentions of gut feelings sprinkled everywhere, as early as the first chapter where I touch on why so many of us change careers. When I was going through a major career transition myself, I had an “inexplicable feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach.” Welcome to the gut feeling. 

As a woman of color, unfortunately, doubt is around every corner. The ways we’ve been socialized have driven a  wedge between us and our intuition. Think about how many times you’ve been taught that you’re undeserving of positions of power and shouldn’t take up space. 

So when your next career move requires kicking in the door instead of politely knocking, reconnecting and listening to your gut is crucial. Use your intuition as an internal compass. It’s a sure-fire way to find your path as you embark on this new adventure in your career. 

Right, so how exactly do you use your gut feeling to determine the next step in your career? Here are a few exercises and checkpoints to help you realign with that intuitive feeling inside.

Try It On For Size

Think about this like Rent the Runway, but for the next step in your career. It would be reckless to wildly abandon your life’s work and hop into a new career without thinking things through first. To see if the career transition that you have in mind is right for you, take small steps like researching the new field or position. Or take on a volunteer project that allows you to explore the new territory in a more hands-on way. 

Simply put, take action. Chances are, the more you learn and explore, the more your gut will tell you whether or not you’ll feel “at home” in a new industry, for example. If you’re considering a pivot within your current industry, talk to those who work in the roles you’re currently inspired by. What’s their day-to-day like? How do their regular duties resonate with you? 

SWOT Does Your Gut Say?

A SWOT analysis is something you may have done before kicking off a project or when analyzing the risks of a new deal or program. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. When thinking about transitioning careers, apply a SWOT to yourself.

Jot down your strengths, weaknesses, and think about possible opportunities within the space you’re looking to transition into. What are you really good at? Where are your areas for improvement? What potential for growth or innovation do you see in the new field or position?

When it comes to threats, be kind to yourself. It’s easy to start Chicken Little-ing: thinking that the sky is falling because of this newfound change and you can’t do anything about it. A lot of the time, when we approach so-called threats, we think about these huge, baseless things like, “I won't make money,” “I’ve wasted my whole life till now,” or “Everyone will hate me!” But these are not realistic barriers – we tend to over-fantasize about the negatives. 

So when it comes to examining these threats, think outside the box: what are the realistic short and long-term downsides of what could happen if you switched careers. Once you’re able to take an honest look at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, there’s a big chance that your gut compass will start to send you some signals – which you’ll be able to use to help with planning that next step!

Part 2 of this post coming soon.