Can you ever go back to a career from your past?

Sometimes, people wonder, “If I change jobs, and I hate the new one, can I go back to an old one?” You know what? I rarely find that people do that.

Unless they loved that work.

In this case, it’s happened.

Here’s the story of one of my current clients, who is approaching a seemingly “old” job with new gusto. Lucy Armentrout came to me after working as a realtor, city planner, a consultant on Bay Area multi-unit residential development projects, a property manager, an investor, and a  project manager. That last gig really got to her. She was working on contract, and was treated with a great deal of disrepect. But she also felt like her talents were being underutilized.

In our exploration together, Lucy got really clear that she loved being around houses. She loved seeing the insides and the possibilities. To her, homes are expressions of lifestyles, and havens to relax in. In an unusual turn of events, she decided to return to being a realtor. She had recently become certified as a LEED Accredited Professional (the national standard for “green” building design and construction), and initially felt a bit obligated to use that certification as her primary calling card. How many of us have invested in a degree and forced ourselves to use that knowledge, even if it doesn’t feel like a fit? I certainly did that with my MBA, forcing myself into management consulting because “it’s what you do next after an MBA, if you don’t go into investment banking.” Hah! That was torturous.

Lucy rightly sensed that “making” herself use the LEED certification was pushing into a direction that didn’t fit.

She recognized that she could be a realtor and use her LEED certification, a fantastic combination. As we delved into her past, we saw that Lucy’s breadth of experience in the real estate industry enables her to quickly identify and understand the key issues in clients’ listings or sale transactions, so that she can guide them in making sound strategic and tactical decisions.

As we’ve moved forward together, Lucy’s been tapping into my assistance for emerging entrepreneurs to ensure she is a huge success in her new/old career!

FYI: Many of you may not know that I’ve helped over 40% of my clients to launch businesses…from real estate to HR consulting to non-profits. I love helping emerging entrepreneurs to bring ideas to life, and I’ll be highlighting more of those success stories in future blog post.

Here’s to careers that truly fit!

Susan