How to experiment when preparing for a career change: step by step

If you’re wondering how to start your career change, here’s how experimenting can help you align a career in five actionable steps.

Are you thinking about a career change?

Are you curious about how to engage with the many questions bubbling in your head?

We, Danielle and Samantha, were navigating these questions when shifting our career direction.

Having already taken the leap to join the On Purpose Associate Programme, we were unsure what was next when we neared the end of this transformative year. However, after a year of learning and experimenting while on the Associate Programme, we wanted to continue this practise and make the most of not knowing what was next.

The uncertainty of the change sometimes felt overwhelming and we used an experimental framework to get started. Below we share some of our lessons and tips on how you can give this a go.

Our experiment – the 60-day coaching project

Our experiment explored whether we wanted to include coaching as part of our future careers. Our informal training and curiosity led us to set up the 60-day Coaching Project as a way to test if we wanted to invest in a coaching qualification. The set up:

1. Find someone you trust and can explore different options with

Is there someone going through a similar transition that you can explore a question together with? Community is a lifeline in uncertain times, and working with someone means you can support each other and be accountable for getting started. Other people who may be helpful could be a mentor, a coach or an ‘accountability buddy’ who can also act in this role. Ideally, someone who is happy to have a regular check in and listen to your journey rather than providing unhelpful quick fixes.

Our story: On Purpose highlighted that community was a lifeline and led us to one afternoon catching up about what could be our next step in our career. After realising that we had a series of similar questions we were looking to answer, we decided to create space to explore these and try some different approaches together. Our previous experience of coaching through past workplaces meant that we had a hunch that it was something we wanted to do longer term. The more we coached, the more curious we became about the art of coaching. We agreed this was an area of interest that would be ideal to experiment with.

2. Define what question you are looking to answer

Try and develop a hypothesis (or a few) about what you might like to do next. This could be split into two parts, using the framework below for each step:

1. First, focus on defining what area you are interested in and more broadly where your passion may lie.
2. Then you could dive deeper into what specifically you would like to explore in that area.

By refining your area of interest, it will allow you to understand where your focus could be. To help combat the potentially overwhelming feeling when faced with a lot of questions, write them down and see if there is some natural priority order. Maybe some questions feed into others, whilst some stand alone. Consider also, what would success or failure look like? Write this down too, and check if this is healthy or realistic.

When you’re specific about what you’re looking for, it helps give focus and direction to find things that might be of interest. Even if these initial questions aren’t perfect, they’ll provide direction for your explorations.

Our story: While on the Associate Programme, we explored many different areas we could work in and reflected on what that could look like for us. Our past coaching experience and how we wanted to empower others led us to establish the direction of our project. This was to focus on developing our coaching practice. Together we listed down a range of questions, including:

• What is our coaching practice?
• How could being a coach be embedded in our career?
• What does success and failure look like?
• What is our coaching offer to people?
• Where has this been done before and who could help us?

The list of questions was split into two buckets – one focusing on our fears and the other looking at practical actions that needed to be done to set up the experiment. This task enabled us to build our project. There were tangible next steps on what we could do to get started.

3. Designate a timeframe

When you’re deciding a timeframe, think about an endpoint to work towards, instead of leaving an indefinite length of uncertainty. A deadline creates focus and a drive to get started with the work, whilst also giving some control over how long this uncertain period will run for. The timings can always flex out, but having a secure window to start with ensures the first step is taken with (relative) confidence.

Within the timeframe, have some milestones to mark progress that can be worked towards.

Our story: Based on other commitments, this was predetermined for our project. We had a clear window of 60 days to experiment.

4. Get started!

This is definitely the hardest part. But once you have everything together, you’ve done all the talking and pre-thinking. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough. This is a trial run to learn and not to be perfect. Your work should not be held back by the narrative in the back of your mind which is focused on not being as professional as that person on LinkedIn. This fear is OK and welcomed, but this is where you need to lean on your trusted person and support network, ensuring you’re not facing it alone.

Our story: Once we had our idea, we were excited to get started and have something to work towards. Creating our resources flowed and it was liberating to embrace a growth mindset. We also talked with friends and colleagues about our project to build up momentum, find clients and make it a reality.

5. Build in time to reflect

A reflection step is perhaps the most important as it’s where the insight will come from. Some questions you could begin with are:

• What is or isn’t working?
• If you have a notably good or bad day, why?
• How are these insights feeding your next set of questions?

It’s always great to talk this out with others to find out what you’re missing and if you have any blind spots that others are noticing. Towards the end, ensure you review the whole process. Be open and honest with yourself. Through this process, you may be inclined to share with others and you'd be surprised how many people are going through similar challenges. This will also help with your assessment of how to run future experiments.

Our story: Over the 60 days, we experienced a range of clients through both in person and online sessions, with technical mishaps and ‘aha’ breakthrough moments. Our regular catch ups allowed for valuable reflection moments where we shared our experiences and feelings that were coming up. We championed one another both through our calls and on social media. This created the space for us to learn more about ourselves, develop our individual coaching practice and look to the future about how to embed this into our careers.

What happens after?

Following the embedded reflection time throughout your experiment, holding space for some final reflection time, allows you to dive deeper into the whole experience. By capturing these thoughts, it could show that what you have been doing is something you’d like to continue. However, you could also discover this is something that doesn’t feel quite right and more experimenting needs to be done! Both help navigate your career change. Learning what you don’t like to do is just as helpful as finding out what you are passionate about.

Our story: The end of the experiment has seen us both confirm that coaching is a piece of our future careers, but a piece that is still figuring out where it sits!

Although we also learnt some surprising lessons along the way, some of these included:

• An experimental approach to career change can provide a good framework to take the pressure off having a ‘perfect’ next step.
• Having a trusted person onboard increases the likelihood of success, whilst increasing enjoyment throughout the process.
• Being more practical and giving something a go was more playful and enjoyable.
• By experimenting, we could test out faster if this is something we wanted to do in our careers, whilst being honest with clients about the project and our backgrounds.

The main takeaway is that while making a career change can seem daunting, following these five steps can provide you with the structure and confidence to move forward. Remember, it's all about experimentation and finding what works best for you. If you're looking for some inspiration, our 60-day Coaching Project may help you along the way. And if you're seeking a role in the impact space, why not explore Escape the City’s job board? Or for hands-on experience while learning, take a look at the On Purpose Associate Programme. Whatever path you choose, take it one step at a time, and trust that each move brings you closer to a fulfilling career.

Author bios

Danielle Chandler

Danielle is a programme manager and facilitator, with a Geography degree where she first explored her interest in how people interact with the planet. After this, she worked as a project manager at a digital marketing and e-commerce agency, before transitioning her career into the impact-led sector.

Now she works with purpose-led organisations, such as Diabetes UK, supporting them to bring about positive change in the world. As well as coaching individuals to empower and support them to work through who they are and what they want.

Samantha Gibbins

After nearly a decade working as a project manager and facilitator at a global confectionery company, Samantha decided it was time to contribute more to the world beyond chocolate. This shift was catalysed by her learning and research into the climate crisis, where she felt called to support the creation of a regenerative and just economy.

Now a freelance facilitator, consultant and coach, Samantha’s mission is to support individuals and teams to bring about positive change in the world, by strengthening the relationships with themselves, their communities, and their environment. She believes that community, and local place-based initiatives, can pave the way to a regenerative future.