41: Is It Too Late to Change Your Public Sector Career?

Find the full transcript at https://spacetoshiftyourcareer.com/41

I want to tell you about Chris. Chris was 46 years old. He’d built an impressive career as a government lawyer. 

Worked his way up to being one of the respected voices in his ministry. Smart, competent, well-paid. By most measures, he’d made it.

But when we talked, he told me something in a whisper, like it was shameful: He’d love to become a teacher. 

“That ship has sailed. I’m too old now. I have a wife, two children, a mortgage. I’ve invested over 20 years in my career as a lawyer. I can’t just throw that away to start over in education. It’s too late.“

He said it with such certainty. Like the door had closed and locked behind him. 

And I almost leapt through my laptop screen.

Because Chris wasn’t trapped. He was caught in a story. A story that started completely unraveling once we started pulling at it.

In this episode, I talk about the stories that keep us stuck. The narratives that feel like facts but actually aren’t. And what happens when you dare to challenge them.

***

Yvonne Davidis helps public sector leaders develop exciting career options that align with who they are now and how they want to evolve in future. 

With 20+ years of moving countries, working for the UK and Denmark across three continents, plus professional coaching certifications, Yvonne is a unique specialist for leaders in the public sector considering their next chapter.

Book a 90-minute Jumpstart Session to clarify your deal-breakers and must-haves for a more satisfying work experience.  

For step-by-step support on your career change journey apply here for Yvonne's 5-month Find Your Career Space programme, and she'll be in touch to invite you to a free discovery call. 

Transcript

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I want to tell you about Chris. Chris was forty six years old. He'd built an impressive career as government lawyer, worked his way up to being one of the respective voices in his ministry. Smart, competent, well paid. By most measures he'd made it. But when we talked he taught me something in a whisper, like it was shameful. He'd loved to become a teacher. But that ship has sailed, he said. I'm too old now. I have a wife, two children, a mortgage. I've invested over twenty years in my career as a lawyer. I can't just throw that away to start over an education. It's too late. He said it with such certainty, like the door had closed and locked behind him. And I almost leaped through my laptop screen because Chris wasn't trapped. He was caught in a story. A story that started completely unraveling once we started pulling at it. In this episode I want to talk about the stories that keep us stuck, the narratives that feel like facts, but actually aren't. And what happens when you dare to challenge them. You are listening to Space to Shift Your Career, a free resource for leaders in the public sector wondering what's next. I'm Yvonda Vides and I've created this podcast to invite you to explore new paths that reflect who you are now and how you want your career to evolve in the future. I have a talent for creating a high trust space so you can reflect, think out loud and test your assumptions. And I love helping you explore, dream, and discover new possibilities for yourself. I moved country several times and I know what it's like to change careers, both within and out of the public sector. And I'm a trained career change and executive leadership coach. I've been working with career shifters as a mentor since 2013. And as a coach since I started my business in 2022. Now subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. Now let's go. Most of the time we are not actually trapped, but we are trapped by a story. A story about who we are, what's possible, and what we can't do anymore. Chris had built a fortress of stories around his dream of leaving his department to become a teacher, and they all felt completely true until we examined them. Let me walk you through the stories Chris was telling himself, and I'm guessing you'll recognize at least one or two. Story number one I'm too old now. Chris was forty six, and he was convinced that at forty six you didn't get second chances, that the time for major career changes had passed, that he'd already used up his opportunity for reinvention. Here's what's actually true. If you're in your thirties, forties, fifties, or even sixties, you are not at the end of your career. You still have 10, 20, 30, or even forty years of work ahead of you. Because with an aging population, in many countries, the legal retirement age is already moving up closer to 70. And research shows something interesting. People who change careers later in life often do better than those who change early. Why is that? Because you have more skills, more resilience, more wisdom, more life experience to bring to the table. Age isn't a barrier, it's actually an advantage. Story number two sunk costs. Chris's biggest objection was this. I've spent over 20 years becoming a government lawyer. If I leave now, that's all wasted. But here's the thing about sunk costs. They're already spent. Whether Chris stayed as a lawyer or left to teach, those 20 years were already gone. The real question wasn't have I wasted my past? The real question was what do I want for my future? And the skills Chris developed as a lawyer research, communication, strategic thinking, handling complex situations and negotiations. Those don't disappear. They travel with him into teaching and educational leadership. Nothing is wasted. It all becomes part of who he is. Story number three. What would people think? Chris was worried about his reputation, about what people would say if he left a prestigious public sector career to become a teacher. Wouldn't people think he was throwing away his potential? But here's the reality. Most people aren't paying as much attention to your choices as you think they are. And the ones who matter, your real friends and your family. They want to see you happy and fulfilled. They would not judge your career decisions. Besides, Chris had integrity. He'd worked his way up in his department. He could work his way up in education if that's what he wanted. And people respect someone who has the courage to pursue their calling, even when that looks unconventional. Story number four. I'm not capable of being a teacher. Chris thought I'm a good lawyer, understand law and policy, but teaching? That's different. I'd be starting from scratch, managing a classroom, understanding young people, and I'm not sure I can do it. Chris hadn't always been a good lawyer either. He'd learnt that profession, developed those skills, that ability to learn, to adapt, to figure things out. That's still inside him. It's portable. The skills he'd developed in one field, analysis, communication, problem solving, resilience, those transfer. And the new skills he'd need as a teacher, he could learn them, just like he learned everything else. Story number five. Serendipity. Chris told me something that surprised me. He said, I got lucky in my legal career. I happen to be in the right place at the right time. I feel like I don't deserve to have success in another field. Despite over twenty years of building a career, despite earning respect from his colleagues, despite delivering results and his proven competence, Chris still believed his success was an accident. This is so common among high achievers. They minimize their own effort and ability and attribute their success to circumstances. But here's what I told him. You're not here by accident. You worked for this. You earned your place. You deserve to be where you are. And that means you could do it again, in a different field, in a different way. You're not a one trick pony depending on a lucky draw. You are capable and competent. Story number six. Everything will fall apart. Underneath all of Chris's other stories was a deeper fear. What if I leave law and I fail at teaching? What if I can't handle it? What if I've made a terrible mistake? When we are comfortable in a role and potentially a little bored and underutilized intellectually, we sometimes forget how capable and resilient we actually are. Chris had taken risks before. He had navigated complex legal questions. He'd handled high pressure situations. He figured things out when circumstances required him to. He was much smarter and more resourceful than he gave himself credit for. And so are you. Chris sat quietly when we finished our session. I thought maybe he was upset, or maybe I'd pushed too hard. But at our next session he walked in grinning from ear to ear. He'd had an honest conversation with his wife. He'd told her about his dream. And you know what? She was wildly supportive. They figured out the financial practicalities together should Chris decide to go for it. Chris had also begun to explore the pathway to teacher training. He had started to have conversations with a few teachers he knew to find out what it was really like. He was even lining up a job shadow in a classroom. So Chris was in the middle of exploring and testing his option. Once he's validated it, he'll already be a long way in to prepare taking the leap. I'm forty three now, a little younger than Chris was when we had that conversation, but not far off. And I noticed something. I tell myself versions of Chris's stories all the time. It's too late to do this differently. You can't learn to be good at something new. People expect you to be in a certain way, so don't risk it. And especially this one. Why can't you just be happy with what you have? These stories hit differently when you're in the middle of your career, when you have more to lose, when the stakes feel higher. But the stories are the same, and they are just as untrue. So here's what I want to leave you with. You might be stuck in a story right now, a narrative about who you are, what's possible, what you're allowed to want. The story might feel completely true. It might feel like a fact. But it's worth examining. What story are you telling yourself about your career? About what's possible? About what's too late. And is it actually true? Or is it a story that keeps you small? I'm not telling you that you need to make a dramatic change. That's not my call, that's yours. But you know what wouldn't hurt? Get him back in touch with the dreams you're keeping locked away, giving yourself permission to explore them. You might not be good at it at first. You once had to learn what you're doing now too. But you can always start again. Anytime you like. It's never too late. You only get one life, and you deserve to make the most of it. Until next time, make space, rediscover you, and then take action. Thank you for listening today. You care about solving real problems and making a difference. And you feel it's time to figure out in what way you can do that in the next chapter of your career. Learn more about how I help leaders in the public sector break through four limiting beliefs about shifting their career. Space to shiftyourcareer.com. And if you're getting value from this podcast, please do share it with other public sector leaders who are considering what's next for them.