Do You Have a Career Backup Plan?

What happens when the one thing you do - and do well - gets taken away?  You adapt - of course. Such is the case of Doc Martin, the lead character in the British dramedy of the same name.  When the successful big-city surgeon succumbs to panic disorder at the sight of blood, he is forced to shift his life by becoming a general practitioner in a rural town.  The public perception is that he has fallen from grace; trading in big city life for the back country.

As ironically far fetched and beautifully off the plot sounds, it's not all that uncommon. There are people who end up unable to do the very thing they once loved; something that was the backbone of their career happiness.

It could be the baseball player who gets injured after the draft or the driving instructor who suddenly goes blind.  More realistically, it’s the sales executive who develops a fear of public speaking.  Or the swimmer who feels allergic to water.  Maybe even the blogger who becomes keyboard phobic.

The reality is that what we do can be taken away from us in unimaginable ways.  That’s why it is important to imagine what your career back up might be.  Let’s hope you never have to break the glass in case of an emergency, but in case you ever need it, Plan B awaits in the wings.

Jobacle recommends that everyone develop a career backup plan and devote several hours a month working towards it.  That way, if you ever decide to make a transition, or if the rug is pulled out from under your feet, you’re already on your way to making a change.

Can you relate to Doc Martin?

Comments

[Lew Sauder]

There was recently a short-lived television series called 'Outlaw' starring Jimmy Smits in which he played a Supreme Court Justice who stepped down to form a private practice to help the down-trodden. He chose his "backup plan" by choice, and it got me thinking. What would I do instead of what I do today - regardless of pay - to have the type of life I'd prefer. I've since published a book and, though I may not become a professional writer, I'm forming my career around it in other ways. One should always have a Plan B.
Lew Sauder, Author, Consulting 101: 101 Tips For Success in Consulting (www.Consulting101Book.com)

[Jobs]

This is an interesting idea, but something that has also backfired on a lot of people. A lot of people used Affiliate marketing as a back up plan and built sites to supplement their income during the recession only to find out that states are passing nexus tax laws and now those relationships with their advertisers are being destroyed and their back up plans no longer exist. This post about creating a back up plan stuck out to me because of the new Illinois Affiliate tax that was just passed. It's not as bad as loosing your site if you're a graphic designer and not being able to do your job but it is very hard to put years of time and effort into a site and have it go under because of a state tax law. Great post.