Time for Some (Small) Changes
No big transitions here, just some minor tweaks
The combination of writing about transitions as this month’s theme and my upcoming 1 year anniversary of writing this newsletter (& the need for a bonus post for the 5th Tuesday of September!) offered a chance to reflect on this past year of writing and reevaluate how I structure this newsletter.
I was recently invited to speak on an early career panel, and in their lovely bio of me they included the descriptor of “writer” among my other job titles. This was the first time I had seen myself called a writer, or even considered thinking of myself as a writer. Since writing my thesis, my childhood love of writing (which had been dormant for years) remerged and I’ve sought out opportunities to write more. This newsletter has catalyzed my desire to keep writing and find new ways to write.
Having monthly themes with a set structure for posts (2 part deep dive combining theoretical and practical advice, relevant book review and topical recommendations) has been a helpful cadence this first year. I have lots to say about professional pivots and this platform has helped me structure my own thinking on these topics.
The past few months though I’ve been feeling a resistance to this structure and a desire to have more flexibility in the depth of topics and types of posts. I’ll be experimenting with having more variety in the coming year (?) and see how it goes.
I’ll still be reviewing books I’ve read in the career space because I love reading and there are countless insightful tomes knocking around on my shelves that I want to talk about. These types of posts won’t be as frequent nor their topics tied to a specific monthly theme. I’ll showcase books (past and recent) that have influenced my thinking on a variety of subjects.
I’ll still have deep dives into bigger topics with extensive thoughts and practical tips. They’ll sometimes be single, longer posts or split into 2-part series. Similarly, the frequency and timing of these may vary, and won’t necessarily be tied to a specific monthly theme.
I continuously collect reference articles and podcasts that spark interest and deepen my knowledge of career development. Rather than each month having a large, single recommendation post (Tips from a Local), I’ll be sprinkling recommendations (professional and personal) in each weekly post. They won’t be as extensive, but will give further reading/listening on a particular topic or give a snapshot of what I’ve been consuming that week. That being said, I may occasionally have a dedicated recommendation post such as mid-year or end of year lists or a larger collection of recommendations centered around a particular theme.
I’ll be introducing a new type of post that will hopefully capture smaller ideas and in-progress thoughts I have in the professional space. Ideas I’ve been musing over, niche topics, common questions related to pivoting I’ve heard or tangents from my longer articles will all have a place here. I’ll have posts of this nature more often and they won’t necessarily be tied (topic wise) to other articles from the month.
These are some formatting changes that will happen in the near future and I’ll be more flexible with formatting moving forward too, trying out different types of posts and content.
I also have other ideas for longer term changes that I will hopefully roll out if they gain steam.
Facilitate weekly or monthly discussions by posing a topic question to all of you
I’m always curious to hear other’s perspectives and I know you all have lots of experience and ideas regarding pivoting
Guided book clubs to support working through practical career books
Examples of this could include: Design Your Life and The Career Stories Method
We would dedicate a chapter a month to actually doing the activities suggested and having peer discussions
Interviews with people who have professionally pivoted
Learn about others career journeys and pivot points
Share advice from others who have pivoted career paths (& not just hear from me!)
These are larger additions and will take time and space to get them going, but this is the direction I’d love to see the newsletter take. To this end, I’d love to gather input from all of you!
If you have a few minutes, please consider filling out (all or any of) this short survey to help guide me on what you’d like to see and what’s beneficial to your own professional pivot: https://forms.gle/LzuNWeMndG9A48jo9
And I’d like to end by thanking everyone who is reading this newsletter every week. It is a small group of you, but you seem to keep coming back and I am so so grateful. Knowing people are reading what I write is inspiring and motivating. I appreciate your dedication and can hopefully grow this newsletter with you.
Until next time, follow your compass!
I’d also like to recognize that today in Canada is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I hope if you’re in Canada (or not) you can take some time to reflect on the impact the residential schools have had (and still have).
Not all are directly related to Orange Shirt Day, but I’ll leave you with some book recommendations by Indigenous author’s that I’ve found meaningful (and just very good reads!)
Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Knowing by Tanya Talaga
Becoming Little Shell by Chris La Tray
Five little Indians by Michelle Good
There There and Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
The Break by Katherena Vermette
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
Crushed Wild Mint by Jess Housty