End of Career Transition: the Process, its Purpose and You

Clarity, Conviction and Courage: Stability Amidst Change

West Fork, Carson River - 2013

Three Distinct Phases of Transition You Will Likely Experience

There are two words that are sometimes used interchangeably when considering the end of career as though they have the same meaning: change and transition. However, these two words have different meanings. They are not the same thing and what they describe have distinctly different purposes.

What I Learned in My Journey

My personal experience with change and transition illustrates this point. Years ago, I was diagnosed with colon cancer and then developed other medical problems. Together they created a change that ended my plastic surgery career and triggered my end of career Transition. Thankfully, years later I am cured, renewed and fulfilled in my new career.

My end of career Transition did not occur by chance. It was the result of sustained, focused and deliberate effort over a period of time.  That effort was directed at a particular envisioned outcome: to achieve renewal and experience fulfillment. The means for achieving that outcome was the process of the end of career Transition itself.

This illustrates the very purpose of a Transition: to effectively manage a major life event and create a new life experience based on your ongoing personal development.

Types of Transition and Preparation

Your career may come to an end, perhaps as part of a plan you have designed and are executing. It may be referred to as a developmental Transition. The important consideration here is that you are the source of the planned change for whatever personal and/or professional reasons.

To contrast that experience, a sudden and perhaps unexpected change brings about a reactive Transition.

With either type, you will find yourself immersed in the process of Transition.  You will experience personal development that is different in substance and purpose from what you have experienced in the past.

In the course of my consulting and coaching, I find a broad spectrum of reactions to the anticipation of the actual end of career. The experiences range from sheer joy to one that is full of worry and stress…at the very time that it is desirable to put the latter feelings behind you. The common experience is that it is a major life event for which thoughtful, deliberate planning is essential in order to create a positive experience.

The planning necessary to create a developmental Transition takes considerable time to create and for you to adjust to the process of Transition. 

Timely preparation is essential to serve your best interests.

Conversely, hope is not a plan…it simply does not work.

I am often asked: “What if I am faced with a sudden, reactive Transition?”

I know that the best way to prepare for the unknown is to prepare for that which is known. That is, to plan and prepare for a developmental Transition based on the facts at hand. If it becomes necessary, your can adjust your plans as needed.

The Transition process really begins when you begin to envision your end of career, often years in advance. There are a myriad of concerns that preoccupy people’s minds and in many ways, is the heart of the matter.

The mechanics of dealing with the business side of things is a story onto itself. Here, I focus on common personal preoccupations for you to consider.

The Transition Phases That We Experience

The personal evolution that most people experience consists of three phases that are common to both types of Transition:

• The first is your acceptance of the change that has taken place…your loss, what has ended.
• The second is a period of personal reflection and reorientation…a time and opportunity for creativity.
• The third is your acceptance of your new beginning…your sense of loss will diminish as you enjoy your new life.

These phases vary in duration from person to person. At each step of the Transition experience you will benefit, provided that you do evolve through these various phases successfully. Sometimes, however, your progress may be delayed or even halted.

For example, the progression from the first to the second phase may be delayed by feelings of denial, the inability to accept what has ended. It may be accompanied by profound, unresolved grief.

As  you face these challenges, I encourage you to face your true north and believe in yourself, the process and its purpose.

Your Transition and Its Purposes

• To develop an objective understanding of your circumstances.
• To accept your loss and experience a healthy form of the resulting grief.
• To experience personal and spiritual development.
• To reaffirm your sense of character.
• To dream and be creative.
• To rejoice in your renewal and fulfillment.

An Uncharted Course and Your Navigation Skills

It will be essential for you to summon confidence in yourself, to reaffirm that you are still you. I encourage you to strive to strengthen your confidence that the same personal qualities of character and skills that brought you to this point in life, will propel you further.

It is helpful to consider that most of us that experience such a Transition will have substantial personal and professional hard-earned skills to draw upon. In addition to what we have learned and the experience we have developed over the years, there is yet another profoundly valuable asset that I encourage you to recognize, value and apply liberally to your new experience: that asset is your unique wisdom.

So it is that at this point in your life, you are even more capable of overcoming the challenging changes that brought about your end of career and its Transition. Among these important skills is your demonstrated ability to develop a realistic vision for yourself, your family and to summon the courage to create a reality based on that vision.

More to the point, I believe that to achieve your successful Transition you must summon Clarity of Identity, Conviction of Purpose and the Courage to express it.

I know you can do so.

How would you describe your present place in your journey?

What steps do you need to take to get started or perhaps progress further along your path?

PS: Do you want to learn more from me about how to create and experience a fulfilling Transition experience? To help you, I provide consulting services tailored to your specific needs. Click here to apply for a complimentary strategy session.

Stimulus to Imagination - The Teton Range

Grand Teton National Park, WY - 2007

© Enrique Fernandez, M. D.