Page 29 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

in IT, the opportunities in that industry simply didn’t exist in
any significant quantity when they were first starting out in the
workplace after school or university. So, the systems maintainers
and content managers might have initially had jobs as typeset-
ters, filing clerks or teachers – but when the growth in IT o≠ered

a new opportunity, they grasped it with relish. Things move on.
The cordwainers, scriveners and fletchers of yesteryear are the
IT operatives of tomorrow.

Sometimes these desires for a career shift are surprising.
I had an influx of letters from a number of lawyers and barris-
ters asking for my advice on a career change. Even I couldn’t
have predicted that. I would instinctively have thought that
certain areas of the legal sector were benefiting from the reces-

sion. Others are less surprising. There is a huge shortage in the
teaching profession: many City workers decided to take the
downturn as an opportunity to enter teaching. If you are uncer-

tain about a future career path, a website like careerplayer.com,
although designed for graduates, contains valuable information
and advice for everybody, by using industry insiders to describe
the pros and cons of a particular sector.
I am a great believer in people following their desires in

business, but you really do need to pick the right time to give
yourself the best chance of success. And to public sector workers
I would pose these questions: should the issue of job security

restrict your career? Or should you look for job progression in
the private sector and potentially face a level of uncertainty?

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