A New Career Trajectory Can Revitalize An Unsatisfactory Professional Life

When we consider the trajectory of our careers, we often imagine them following a generally straight path from "newbie," to proficient, to seasoned professional, to retiree. Less often do we imagine that trajectory will completely sail off in a completely different direction; yet if so steered, this scenario can lead to remarkable fulfillment, personal growth and a renewed excitement for work.

What’s it like to make a significant change in your profession when you’ve already built a successful career? How does one make that happen? Furthermore, why would one do that? These are questions I asked Maureen Trlak, nurse-turned-real estate-agent in a recent interview.

Maureen worked as a nurse in a variety of settings and capacities for nearly 29 years. She enjoyed seniority, stability and a sense of autonomy on the job. Pay and benefits were generous. Maureen enjoyed many valued relationships throughout the years; she found her work with patients fulfilling. She worked with a sense that what she did was important, meaningful and impactful.

At the same time, however, Maureen struggled under the burden that her work interfered with time spent with her husband and two children. Her days were long and stressful. She was often on call, putting her on edge, unable to relax during time off - or, if called in, exhausted the next day having worked without rest prior to her shift. While carrying out her physical duties, she began noticing arthritis pain. It began to dawn on Maureen that something had to change; she was not going to be able to continue working under these circumstances for the rest of her professional years. In short, she felt her whole body and psyche were suffering under the demands of her job.

Maureen says that once she entertained the thought - admitted to the universe - that she wanted to make a change, there began to be some signs guiding her. At about the same time, she and her husband decided they’d like to look for a new house. By chance, a friend’s daughter had recently become a realtor and they began looking at properties. With no knowledge that Maureen was looking to make a professional change, the realtor blurted out to her one day, "Maureen, you’d be really good at selling real estate." That comment planted the seed of an idea into her mind. The more she entertained the idea, the more appealing it became: There was a potential to make good money, there’d be less stress and she’d have a more flexible schedule. Better yet, there’d be no more on call, and, to directly quote Maureen, "there’s no potential for death from a real estate transaction." What began as a seed began growing into a plan.

While continuing to work at the hospital, Maureen took real estate classes, eventually earning licenses to sell in both Illinois and Indiana. Over the course of a couple years, she sold a few houses, then more, and seeing that momentum building was convinced that she could quit nursing and sell real estate full time.

While real estate held benefits for Maureen, she soon realized that she had a lot to offer as an agent. The caring nature of a nurse is useful in serving and protecting her clients. Maureen refers to her "tiger mommy" instinct, for protecting customers from being taken advantage of. Her new profession calls heavily on her nursing skills of organization, prioritization and charting (taking copious and detailed notes in a patient’s chart).

Some novel challenges have understandably cropped up in this uncharted territory. The art of selling is itself a new challenge. Some new muscles she’s working on developing include social media marketing and writing contracts. Maureen often finds herself barraged with marketing offers in her email - claiming to have the solution to becoming a better-known agent yet serving only to clutter her inbox. She’s actively looking for ways to better open up the channels of client communication to avoid uncomfortable misunderstandings and miscommunications. She’s also learning a new work/life balance - one in which she spends sufficient time working with and for clients, but that allows her more personal and family time than she had as a nurse.

Maureen has delighted in some happy surprises because of her career change. She loves meeting and getting to know new people in her expanding network - and sometimes making new friends. She’s thrilled to discover how much she enjoys the hunt for the perfect property for each client. She loves having the ability to drive her convertible in nice weather. She’s found a new love for composing handwritten notes to her clientele.

I was curious about if - or how - the concept of "work" had changed for her as a realtor. Maureen’s response: "I’m still task-driven but now it’s divided fifty/fifty between serving my existing clients and finding clients."

Bottom line, a career change, even when you’re a seasoned professional is certainly possible, and can hold many new and exciting challenges while still utilizing many of your skills and talents.

What skills and talents from one profession could serve you well upon taking on another?