Who am I without this job?

When I went to university to study teaching, my goal wasn’t to make education a life-time job, I only intended to stay for ten years. But life has a way of changing paths and earning an income became the main purpose for remaining in education. In a way, being a teacher became a part of my identity. Plus, I knew I could get a teaching job anywhere with an education degree.

Twenty-seven years later, my position was made redundant and I thought what now? Are my skills as an educator and librarian transferable? The short answer is yes, but what jobs can I apply for? Will someone hire me with minimal industry experience? Am I over qualified? Under qualified? These were questions I needed to address. I also had an advantage: my writing. This helped me to remain focussed on my goal working towards a career as a full-time writer (this is a work in progress). In the meantime, I required an income to cover living expenses.

According to studies conducted, the average person will remain working for about 45 years (The University of Queensland, 2023) until retirement, and may have changed jobs 13 times. This is dependent on the generation. Millennials and Gen Z’s can change up to 16 jobs in their lifetime, whereas prior gens approximately 10 to 13 jobs. I have a career as an educator and have had 16 positions. I’ll clarify the difference between a job and a career.

A job is a position held with a particular employer and one doesn’t need a qualification but a person can make a career out of a job with further training. A career refers to a profession, usually one that requires a tertiary education with long-term goals and with the intent of promotion and/or advancement. (TAFE Gippsland, n.d.)

Interestingly, a person can go through 3-7 careers (UoQ, 2023) and reflecting upon my own work life, I’ve had three and now on my fourth. Lecturing does falls under the education banner, but it is different as I am training and upskilling people for the workforce. As I was reflecting and considering career change, one question I needed to address was: did I want to work in schools again? The answer was a definitive no. I did my time and service to education and wanted to move in a different direction. I had to think outside the box, so to speak, and see what is out there.

Ideally, writing full-time and earning a reasonable income from my published works is what I desire. That is my ultimate goal. However, lecturing pays the bills and provides financial stability.

Letting go of an old identity is hard — but it also creates space for something new. It is exciting and scary but with good planning and a desire to change, success is possible.

Have you faced redundancy or considered a career change later in life? Share your experience in the comments and subscribe for the next post on exploring new career paths.

Sources:
The University of Queensland. (2025, May 24). How many career changes in a lifetime? Study. https://study.uq.edu.au/stories/how-many-career-changes-lifetime

How many career changes will you have in a lifetime? (n.d.). TAFE Gippsland. https://www.tafegippsland.edu.au/about/mediacentre/2025/how_many_career_changes_will_you_have_in_a_lifetime

career change after redundancy, career reinvention, identity after job loss, transferable skills teaching