| It's a pretty tough ask to expect young school | | | | service assistants or trades people) we can see |
| leavers to nail down a career choice at age 18 | | | | that Tyra took one phase and used it in her |
| and stick to it throughout their adult years. A | | | | move to something entirely different. Television |
| plethora of options and a lack of real world | | | | production is only related to modeling in the most |
| experience lead many to make decisions that | | | | tenuous way; but being a smart cookie, Tyra was |
| later turn out to be less than ideal for their adult | | | | able to use what she knew (how to become a |
| lives. | | | | successful model) in order to get to this next |
| The good news is that it actually matters very | | | | stage of her career. From this success, she was |
| little what crazy choices we make for ourselves | | | | able to leave modeling subject matter behind and |
| as teenagers. So what if when you were 17 you | | | | become a talk show host. |
| tried to become a supermodel, refused to go to | | | | How can you make a real-world career change? |
| college because you were going to become a | | | | Taking stock of where you are now, you can use |
| musician, went to art school and convinced | | | | the knowledge and experience you have gained |
| yourself it was a calling or enrolled in an entirely | | | | to help you move to the next phase of your |
| sensible college course that turned out to be | | | | career. We can take the unfortunate example of |
| completely uninspiring: none of it matters. Career | | | | losing one's job; being fired for any reason, even |
| change is possible at any juncture along the way. | | | | if it's a retrenchment rather than poor |
| The modern working environment calls for a | | | | performance, is demoralising and feels like the end |
| flexible and adaptable approach; the days of | | | | of the world. It's actually an opportunity in disguise. |
| signing on to a job as a young person and staying | | | | Imagining that the job you had was in graphic |
| in that workplace until retirement are virtually | | | | design, you could consider freelancing instead and |
| over. A group of the working community who are | | | | potentially could find yourself with a booming |
| already advanced in their careers will still | | | | business three years on. Or maybe you never |
| experience this old model and receive the | | | | liked graphics that much anyway, consider what |
| obligatory 'gold watch', but young workers cannot | | | | else you might prefer and find a way to use your |
| sit back and expect a workplace to take care of | | | | design knowledge to help you get there. |
| them. This lack of certainly should be seen in its | | | | Sometimes you need to retrain |
| proper aspect as a huge opportunity to market | | | | It isn't always so smooth. If the designer used in |
| oneself and grow and change throughout a | | | | our example decides that he or she wants to |
| lifetime. | | | | become a fire fighter... leveraging the ability to |
| Careers are not fixed entities any longer, and it | | | | make things look pretty on the page is probably |
| truly is the case that every new twist is taking | | | | not going to help. This will require them to retrain. |
| you one step closer to the person you are | | | | Starting from scratch can be scary, but you |
| becoming. We can use a celebrity example here | | | | aren't ever really starting from scratch - it just |
| to remind ourselves that as one door closes, | | | | feels that way. When you began your first |
| another definitely opens. | | | | career, you had no life experience to guide you, |
| Tyra Banks | | | | but now you do. Life experience is what's going to |
| Discovered as a model at a young age and | | | | help you make the adjustment and learn how to |
| plunged into superstardom early in her life, Tyra | | | | perform your new role much faster than when |
| seemed to have a dream career. Modeling, | | | | you first started out in the workforce. |
| however, is not a long-lived enterprise and savvy | | | | A positive attitude |
| Ms Banks put on her business hat and created a | | | | Really all it takes to adjust to a career change is |
| top-rating television series after concluding her | | | | an optimistic outlook and a capacity to embrace |
| time as a Victoria's Secret model. Tyra has now | | | | change as an opportunity. Twenty-first century |
| reinvented herself as a television talk show host. | | | | employment is all about flexibility and self |
| Tyra is a great example of personal career | | | | management, you need to remember that you |
| management, because although most of us aren't | | | | are captaining your career ship, and it can sail |
| transitioning from a modeling career (we're more | | | | wherever you choose. |
| likely to be factory workers, lawyers, retail | | | | |