The 4 seasons of a career change
A peek into the new way I’m looking at the career change process
Image by Beatriz Camaleão via Unsplash
If you’ve spent time with me, you know I believe in working with the distinct energies of different seasons. The energy of winter feels very different to me than the energy of spring. While I used to fight this and attempt to work with the same energy year-round, I’ve now embraced a more seasonal approach.
Planning my life and business in sync with nature has been incredibly liberating – allowing me to accept my natural energy levels and where I am in the cycle, instead of succumbing to “shoulds” or feeling behind.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about how my work with clients follows a similar cyclical dance. I’ve noticed that each phase of the career change process has a distinct energy, which can be mapped to nature’s annual rhythms.
Join the newsletter club for more like this
Sign up with your email address to receive strategies, insights, and tips to create a better experience of work.
Here’s how I see it:
Winter: recalibrating & letting go of your old professional self
Themes - rest, reflection, inner work, embracing the unknown
In the winter, you’re taking stock of your professional life and deciding what needs to change. This is when you reevaluate your current path and identify what’s no longer serving you - whether that’s the path itself, your role, or your workplace culture. It’s a time to pause and reflect on what aspects of your current career energize or drain you and conduct a skills inventory to determine what you might bring with you into your next role. It’s also a time to honor your professional achievements, while letting go of parts of your professional self that no longer serve you.
Spring: exploration & new beginnings
Themes - rebirth, experimentation, emergence, planting seeds
In the spring, you begin to envision your ideal career path and research new industries, companies, or roles that better align with your values and professional goals. You might take courses to fill skill gaps, revamp your LinkedIn profile, or craft new versions of your resume. Spring is characterized by first steps - initial applications, interviews, and the vulnerability of putting yourself out there. While self-doubt may creep in, this season carries a sense of renewal and the energy of new possibilities.
Summer: action & forward momentum
Themes - momentum, confidence, clarity, action
In the summer, you take outward action. This is when you step into your new professional self with clarity and confidence. You might refine and send out more job applications, connect with your professional community, ask for support, interview for new roles, and make yourself visible. This is a season for boldly stepping out into the world and going after what you want.
Autumn: celebration & integration
Themes - harvest, celebration, grounding into your new professional identity
In the autumn, your efforts bloom into tangible results and you begin to find your stride in your new role or career. This may look like completing your job search, onboarding in a new role, establishing yourself in a new industry, or launching your own business venture if you’ve decided to try out being an entrepreneur. This is a season for celebration and continued growth as you ground into your new professional identity.
Why I find this metaphor so helpful
I love this seasonal metaphor because it invites us to work with, rather than against, the natural rhythm of a career change. It creates space for each distinct phase and feelings of uncertainty, pause, and renewal that are natural parts of the process. Breaking it down into distinct phases can help you move through the process at your own pace, rather than feeling pressured to do everything at once.
In that sense, it can also help manage expectations - some seasons require reflection and patience, while others invite bold action. Knowing where you are in the process can help ease anxiety and encourage self-compassion during slower or more challenging phases.
I’d love to hear how this metaphor lands for you - if you’re currently navigating a career change, which season are you in?
If you could use a partner in your own career transition, I’d love to work with you.
Let’s work together
This month I’ve supported clients in clarifying their vision for their career, navigating the job search process, and overcoming stress and overwhelm at work.
I’d love to support you to do the same.
Send me a message or check out ways we can work together: from 1:1 coaching to participating in my group program Navigating Emotions at Work.