Career Change: The Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Now | Laura Sheehan | TEDxHanoi

TEDx Talks
8 Jun 201811:56
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this inspiring talk, a lawyer and diplomat's wife shares her journey from small-town Ohio to a life of international adventure, reflecting on the sacrifices and rewards of following her husband's career. Initially grappling with the fear of sacrificing her own professional identity as 'Laura, the lawyer,' she ultimately finds purpose and success in various roles across different countries. She emphasizes the importance of being open to change, embracing diverse experiences, and making meaningful connections to achieve success in an ever-evolving career landscape. Her story encourages listeners to redefine success on their own terms and to leverage the power of adaptability and resilience in the face of life's unexpected turns.

Takeaways
  • 🗣️ Communication is a powerful skill that can lead to meaningful connections and opportunities.
  • 🌍 Life's journey is full of unexpected turns and opportunities that can shape who we are and where we go.
  • 🎓 Education and career achievements are significant, but they are not the only measures of success and fulfillment.
  • 👫 Personal relationships and the support of a partner can influence major life decisions, including career choices.
  • 🚀 Taking risks and stepping out of one's comfort zone can lead to personal growth and new experiences.
  • 🔄 Career changes are becoming the norm, with an average person expected to have 12 to 15 different careers in a lifetime.
  • 📈 Embracing change and viewing it as a form of growth can open up new professional and personal development opportunities.
  • 🧩 Each job or experience contributes to a broader professional portfolio, even if the roles seem unrelated.
  • 💡 Identifying and focusing on the consistent skills used across various roles can reveal one's true strengths and career path.
  • 🤝 Building a network and making meaningful connections is crucial for career advancement, with most jobs being found through personal networks.
  • 📚 Continuous learning and skill development are essential for adapting to the ever-changing job market and career landscape.
Q & A

  • What is the speaker's profession?

    -The speaker is a lawyer and the wife of a diplomat.

  • What is the speaker's talent for conversation?

    -The speaker is talented at talking and finding common ground with almost anyone she meets.

  • What question does the speaker often ask when meeting new people?

    -The speaker often asks, 'How did you come to be here?' referring to how they arrived at their current point in life.

  • Where did the speaker spend most of her childhood?

    -The speaker spent most of her childhood in small-town Ohio.

  • What was the speaker's career situation after moving overseas with her husband?

    -After moving overseas, the speaker found herself without a job and felt uncertain about the future of her legal career.

  • How did the speaker's perspective on her career change after moving to Hanoi?

    -In Hanoi, the speaker realized that she could do anything, not just follow the path of being 'Laura, the lawyer.' She began to see her diverse experiences as a cohesive whole that contributed to her personal and professional growth.

  • What is the first key step the speaker suggests for finding success anywhere?

    -The first key step is to be open to and ready for change, embracing the idea that careers may consist of a portfolio of different jobs.

  • According to the speaker, what is the second step to finding success?

    -The second step is to embrace the experiences and ditch the titles, focusing on the skills and strengths that are consistent across all professional experiences.

  • What is the third practical step the speaker recommends for job seekers?

    -The third step is to make meaningful connections, as a significant number of jobs are still obtained through personal networks and word of mouth.

  • What is the significance of the question 'If you could do anything, what would it be?' in the speaker's journey?

    -This question helped the speaker to rethink her career path and realize that she could pursue a variety of roles beyond her initial profession as a lawyer, leading to a more fulfilling and diverse career.

  • How does the speaker feel about her career after reflecting on her experiences in different countries?

    -The speaker feels empowered and successful, recognizing that she has found success in every place she lived, despite not following a traditional career trajectory.

  • What advice does the speaker have for others who might be facing similar career transitions?

    -The speaker advises others to be open to change, embrace their diverse experiences, and actively seek meaningful connections to find success in their careers.

Outlines
00:00
🗣️ A Lawyer's Journey: From Ohio to the World

The speaker, a lawyer, shares her personal story of how she went from a small-town Ohio upbringing to a life of travel and adventure as a diplomat's wife. She talks about her love for conversation and the question she often asks new acquaintances, 'How did you come to be here?' She reflects on her decision to follow her husband's career overseas, which led to a period of self-doubt and questioning her professional identity. The speaker humorously recounts the moment she was suggested for a mailroom job, which made her consider the impact of her choices on her career. She discusses the universal feelings of sadness, anger, and resentment that can come with making life-altering decisions for the sake of love, and how these feelings are not exclusive to her but are shared by many who have made similar sacrifices.

05:00
🌟 Finding Success Beyond Traditional Career Paths

The speaker discusses her realization that she could redefine success on her own terms, not strictly as 'Laura, the lawyer.' She talks about how her various roles and jobs, despite not being in law, were all interconnected by the skills she consistently used. The speaker highlights the importance of being open to change and embracing a variety of experiences as a strength in professional development. She cites Charles Handy's prediction about the future of careers being a portfolio of different jobs and the increasing trend of job-hopping. She encourages the audience to identify the common skills across their diverse experiences and to view their career as a beautiful collage rather than a single, linear path.

10:03
🤝 Making Connections: The Key to Unlocking Opportunities

The speaker emphasizes the importance of making meaningful connections in finding success in one's career. She points out that despite the prevalence of online job boards, a significant majority of jobs are still obtained through personal connections. She advises the audience to actively engage with people, seek advice, and express their career aspirations to increase their chances of being considered for opportunities. The speaker suggests starting conversations with individuals whose work interests them and offers two questions that can initiate such discussions: 'How did you come to be here?' and 'If you could do anything, what would it be?'

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Adaptability
Adaptability refers to the ability to adjust to new conditions or changes. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of being open to change in one's career, as it is a sign of flexibility, resilience, and creative problem-solving abilities. The speaker's own journey of moving to different countries and taking on various roles exemplifies adaptability.
💡Career Portfolio
A career portfolio is a collection of an individual's professional experiences, skills, and accomplishments. The concept is used in the video to illustrate the idea that a successful career is not necessarily tied to a single job title but rather a diverse set of experiences that showcase one's capabilities. The speaker contrasts the traditional view of a career with the modern reality where change and a variety of roles are the norm.
💡Trailing Spouse
A trailing spouse is a term used to describe a person who moves to a new location, often internationally, due to their partner's job. In the video, the speaker identifies with this term, reflecting on the challenges and sacrifices made when she followed her husband's diplomatic career, which impacted her own professional journey.
💡Life Purpose
Life purpose refers to the sense of meaning or significance one finds in their life or career. The speaker discusses her initial dissatisfaction with the jobs she took on while moving with her husband, as they did not align with her sense of purpose as a lawyer. The realization that she could redefine her life's purpose outside of her original career path was a pivotal moment for her.
💡Professional Identity
Professional identity is the sense of self that an individual derives from their career or occupation. The video explores the speaker's struggle with her professional identity as 'Laura, the lawyer,' and how she eventually comes to recognize the value in the diverse roles she played in different countries, leading to a broader and more fulfilling professional identity.
💡Global Experience
Global experience refers to the knowledge, skills, and perspectives gained from living and working in different countries and cultures. The speaker's narrative is rich with examples of how her global experience in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and Vietnam contributed to her personal and professional growth, despite the initial perceived setbacks in her legal career.
💡Personal Growth
Personal growth is the process of improving and developing as a person, often through new experiences and challenges. The video's theme of personal growth is central, as the speaker recounts her journey of self-discovery and the realization that her various roles and jobs contributed to her overall development, rather than detracting from it.
💡Networking
Networking is the practice of building and maintaining professional relationships. The speaker highlights the importance of networking in finding job opportunities, as a significant number of jobs are secured through personal connections rather than online job boards. She encourages the audience to engage in meaningful conversations and connections to further their careers.
💡Empowerment
Empowerment is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights. The video discusses how the speaker found an empowering perspective by reevaluating her career and life choices. She aims to help others gain the same sense of empowerment by sharing her insights and experiences.
💡Job Transition
Job transition refers to the process of moving from one job or career to another. The speaker's story is an example of multiple job transitions as she moved with her husband and took on different roles in various countries. The video emphasizes that such transitions are not only common but can also be a source of strength and growth in one's career.
💡Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is the equilibrium between the time and energy an individual devotes to their work and personal life. The video touches on this concept as the speaker had to make choices between pursuing her legal career and accompanying her husband, which involved trade-offs between her professional ambitions and personal relationships.
Highlights

The speaker is a lawyer and diplomat's wife who has lived in multiple countries

She asks new people 'How did you come to be here at this point in your life?'

She grew up in small-town Ohio and got her first passport at 18

She met her husband a few years after getting her first passport

Her husband was smart, handsome, witty and going places literally

It took her a few years to convince him to get married

She pursued her law degree while dating him

After law school, her husband got a job that could take them overseas

She was torn between a career and a life of travel/adventure

She worried her career as 'Laura, the lawyer' would be derailed

She moved overseas with no job and felt lost initially

In a new city, a woman suggested she work in the mailroom

She realized she didn't want to give up her law career for mailroom job

She felt sad, angry and resentful about the impact on her career

She wasn't alone - many others face this challenge as trailing spouse, stay-at-home parent, etc.

Despite the sacrifices, we make these choices out of love for our spouse, kids, parents

She ended up working in many interesting jobs in countries around the world

But she still felt unfulfilled not progressing as 'Laura, the lawyer'

In Hanoi, a friend asked 'If you could do anything, what would it be?'

This childhood question made her realize she could break free from being just a lawyer

She realized she had been doing the same core things under different titles

All her diverse experiences fit together to form a fulfilling, empowering career

She wants to help others gain the perspective she was given

After 16 years and 7 countries, she found success everywhere

3 key steps to find success anywhere: 1) Be open to change 2) Embrace experiences, ditch titles 3) Make meaningful connections

Careers are now a portfolio of different jobs, not one position for life

Changing jobs multiple times is now the norm and can be an asset

A successful career is building a set of adaptable skills, not same job title in different places

Identify the common skills you use in every job to find your true strengths and path

Each job contributes to a beautiful collage of a career you are creating

85% of jobs are still found through personal connections and word of mouth

Make meaningful connections by seeking advice, asking questions, sharing your goals

Transcripts

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Related Tags
Diplomat's WifeCareer JourneyAdaptabilityMeaningful ConnectionsLife ChoicesGlobal ExperienceLawyer's StoryPersonal GrowthProfessional DevelopmentEmpowering PerspectiveCareer Change