Last week I was offered a new role at work.  I decided to take it.

Even though I will remain at the same workplace, I feel both excited and nervous about moving on from my role as the the leader of the Career Centre.  Over the past three years I learnt how challenging it can be to be a first time leader…  I recall delivering a presentation to the senior leadership team (including the CEO) and not being able to sleep much the night before.  I think my voice kept rising as I spoke!  Despite feeling daunted at times, I also learnt that I love nothing more than helping my colleagues to develop and thrive as practitioners.

You often need to wear different hats as a careers practitioner; one moment you could be guiding a shy school leaver to explore study options (often with an unintentionally overbearing parent watching on), the next you could be practising interviews with an anxious graduate, or you could be delivering a workshop on social media branding to a group of eager natural science students.  I strive to create an atmosphere where my team can learn from each other and provide authentic, informed support to students.

The past three years have been extremely satisfying, but over the past year I yearned for new challenges.  I guess I am the type of person where I constantly seek to grow my skill-sets and vary my portfolio of work.  An ongoing restructure process has also made it difficult to create and innovate in a climate of uncertainty.

Sitting at the beach this summer (I can totally endorse the idea that great thinking comes from stillness) made me realise that I wanted to change my role this year.  I did not expect the change to happen so quickly, but the role of Wellness Advisor caught my eye and seemed too great an opportunity to pass up.  In a nutshell, I will be implementing a staff wellness programme across the institute, addressing individual and group staff needs.  I know it will be a tough role, but I cannot wait to sink my teeth into it.

I guess what I learnt from this process is that it is healthy to take a risk, especially if the intention is to grow and develop yourself further.  Too often we get complacent and it feels much easier to accept the status quo, but I do not wish to stand back and watch opportunities fly past me.  I think courage is such an underrated characteristic.

I am not going to lie.  Over the past week I have experienced elation, guilt and anxiety.  A part of me feels guilty for stepping aside from my team in the midst of potential change.  I  feel anxious as I am stepping aside from doing pure careers work after six dedicated years.   I also feel elation (mostly inside) as I am able to try something new.

Life is full of twists and turns and this is certainly one of those times.  Carpe diem!