Your Skills Belong to You

Here’s something you may not have thought about when it comes to career transitions:

You own the set of skills you have developed.

Even if you leave a job, or a career, the skills you’ve built over the years remain yours.

And those skills are transferable to more places than you think.

Throughout your career, you’ve built an incredible toolbox of skills. When or if you leave a job, you take them with you. You don’t have to leave them behind when you leave your key card at the security desk.

It’s also about thinking differently about what you’ve done. And helping you reimagine how you can use your skills in a different way. And it’s about guiding potential employers to see what skills you can bring to the new office (in-person or remote).

I invite you to take an inventory. Think of the work that you’re doing now, and list all the skills you’ve learned. All of them: the hard skills, and the “soft” skills we tend to leave behind.

For example, what pieces of software have you used in your work that you can use in your dream work? Maybe you’ve built skills in using customer-resource management software. Or you’ve become a pro in video editing. Those skills you can bring with you as you make your transition.

And, what about the “softer” skills you have developed? Curiosity, empathy, resilience? Please don’t leave them behind. They are needed, more than ever.

Now, think about what interests you—what is the work that works for you? What lights you up and fuels you? Then, let’s match up all the skills you listed, with your dream work.

This is some of the work we will do together. I work hand-in-hand with you to understand what your skills are, and what map can we draw to the work that makes you want to get to Monday morning with a sense of joy and purpose.

And on that map, you may discover pieces of yourself you didn’t think were there. Maybe you have been working in a sales position at a company for a decade. Yet, in the back of your mind, you’ve been yearning for the day when you can launch that small storefront business brewing coffee. You’ve been dreaming about walking to your store every morning, calling your own shots, and having meaningful, joyful conversations with store visitors.

What skills can you transfer from your hard-charging sales work to your quiet, corner coffee-shop owning dreams? What are the routes you can take to get there? And what support do you need to have to make that dream a reality?

Opening up to your dreams

Here’s something to also consider. It’s ok to be in that hard-charging sales work. Or in that hard-charging reporter role. And, you can have the dream of that small, quiet coffee shop—they are not mutually exclusive. You can hold both in your mind—and you can give yourself permission to do so.

We often have dreams of working in ways that are more inline with who we truly are. Of course, our day-to-day lives have other plans. Holding space for both your day work and dream work is possible. You may not be able to make the leap right at this moment, but working together, we move in the direction of your success becoming inevitable.

Just thinking about your skills with a greater sense of possibility can be life-changing. Your life, beyond your career, opens up in ways you may not have imagined.

Here are three points to remember:

Your Skills Are Portable: You don't leave your skills behind when you change jobs or careers. I encourage you to reframe your perspective and see how those skills can be applied in different ways.

Embrace All Your Skills: It’s important to recognize you possess both "hard skills" (technical abilities) and "soft skills" (communication, empathy, etc.) Don't underestimate the value of soft skills, as they are highly sought after in many workplaces.

Dream Big and Take Action: I encourage you to identify your passions and match them to your existing skillset. You might not be able to make a drastic change immediately, but creating a plan and taking steps towards your dream career brings success closer.

When you are using all of your skills, who do you get to be? What is possible for you when you have identified all of your skills and can use them in a way that works best for you? Let me know in the comments below.

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career and health coach, trained in habit change, specializing in helping mid-stage professionals gain clarity on their career and health journeys. I invite you to click on the link, and let’s talk about how I can support you.