Sue Nunn's own personal career journey
My career journey, like those of many others I've worked with, has not been straightforward. I made some wrong moves and some right ones, but every move gave me the chance to develop skills and insights along the way. Most importantly this journey has inspired me to work with other people on finding their ideal career.
I had limited career advice at school and little idea of what kind of jobs existed. Initially I trained as a nurse and knew fairly early on it wasn't the career for me - I wasn't very good at the practical side of the job and there was no outlet for my creativity (luckily for the patients).
At the age of 23 I sat down and worked out what I had gained from this career (my transferable skills), what I enjoyed doing and what I could potentially do in the future.
Limited by my knowledge of the jobs that existed, I decided to become a personnel officer for a large food retailer. I took professional qualifications in Human Resources (HR) and went on to become a Deputy Director of HR in my 20s and a Director in my 30s.
Despite the promotions, these roles didn't feel like my ultimate career; I enjoyed developing people and working with groups but found other aspects of the role dull and draining. It was time to think again.
I joined a global company as a change management consultant, working on projects around the world. Whilst this was exciting, I felt out of balance from the hours and travel and my values didn't fit with those of the organization, so I down-sized - firstly to become a Director of a small UK based consultancy and then to set-up my own company to provide a range of services including coaching to people who were being made redundant or who wanted to change career.
In 2004 I had my son and gained first hand insight into the struggles and decisions faced by working women. I was also struck by the number of successful women who lost confidence whilst out of the workplace, who wanted to return to work but were no longer sure of their skills and who were struggling to find roles that would fit in with their families.
The themes I take from my own journey into my coaching and workshops are:
- to think broadly about what jobs and careers exist and to research options including self-employment and portfolio careers.
- to understand your skills, strengths and values to work out what you are taking to any new role and also what would be your ideal work and organization.
- to work on your confidence, as this is the issue that frequently holds you back.
If you would like find out more about how Career Inspiration can help you, please contact Sue directly for a free initial consultation.
