Hi Daryl,

Thanks for writing to us and apologies for the delayed response, our office was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. I have sent your question off to our career coaches who will be in touch soon.

In the meantime, it would be helpful if you could give us a little more information about the kind of work that you're hoping to do now. It sounds like you're looking to make a career change since the nightclub business isn't feasible or something you are particularly interested in anymore. Do you want to go back to the retail field? Or try something different? If you could send us a little more information that will help us provide you with more detailed advice.

Best,

Sarah, Associate Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers

At this point I am willing to consider all possibilities , I am not opposed to going back into the retail field but I do not  know how limited I would be with my "new normal" and how it would fit in back on a sales floor. I guess I would like to speak with someone to help me narrow my search options.

Hi, Daryl,

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving.   I would be happy to discuss your career direction with you.   But before we do, a simple exercise will help you narrow the scope of your exploration.  It will not take long, and will pay off when it comes to sorting out your options.

First, take a look at each role you have played in the past in your career, from retail manager and night club entrepreneur.  For each role, list at least 10 things that you have done that make you proud.  What accomplishments have you been able to achieve in each field?  List them following this formula: What was the situation>what action did you take to resolve the situation> what was the impact or the result of your action?

Then, look over the 20 or so entries and see if you can uncover any patterns.  Think about what you loved doing about each of them, what skill you had to use to accomplish that task, and if possible, which ones relate to the others.  What you will be looking for are threads of commonality.  You are trying to see if there are skills you naturally enjoy and prefer to use, and if there are competencies that you use over and over because they are your strengths.

Armed with that insight from this simple exercise, you will be able to sort through the noise and hopefully start your exploration in a clearer way.   Send me a note once you have that completed, (It should not take long.) and we can chat about the results.

Looking forward to it.

Kathy Flora, Career Coach

After looking back on my working life it seems that the thing I enjoyed the most about both my retail and nightclub careers was the interaction with people  Now the compensation is drastically different ( much more in the nightclub business) and the hours are lousy in both jobs . but as I think back on  the respective fields  I do see that common aspect of both jobs. Also I am a different person now and I don't really want to be in the nightclub environment any longer if I don't have to. My perspective on life and family has changed because of all I have been through because of my cancer.

So now since I am finally feeling better physically I feel like that person I was before is gone and I don't know what direction to go to next.

Hi, Daryl,

I think it is really common for those of us who have experienced a health crisis like cancer and treatment to feel like a different person afterward.  I know for me it caused me to rethink a lot of the things I took for granted before, including my work.

I am so glad you are feeling physically better, and that you are eager to get back to a new rhythm for your days.  

There is much to explore, I know.   Hope I can assist, if even in a small way.

Kathy Flora, Career Coach.

So I guess the next question is, After almost 20 years of working at something and then losing   my job and my identity, How do I get the new person that I back into the world of productive humans. I feel as if  I  have been asleep for a while and everyone has just moved on and I am trying to catch up. Thanks for replying , It is hard to talk to people who have not gone through a similar health crisis. They don't seem to be able to relate.

Hi Daryl, having cancer takes a person from being a victim to becoming a survivor, however, it can rob your identity to some extent. To work on getting back into the workforce, it helps to know what it is you like to do and what it is you do not want to do.

It appears from reading your posts that you enjoy working with people. There are many fields that provide this type interaction; however, you may need to go to a career college or a two or four year college in order to become trained in the field of your choosing. Networking will also help with this change.

It takes time to become comfortable with life again, because we had to face fears of the unknown, we learned that we are not invincible, and we learned that life is not forever - here on earth. Hopefully you have learned to eat healthy, have an exercise routine, limit the stress in your life, and stay up-to-date with your screenings.  We never know if the cancer will come back, but with taking care of ourselves, having a positive attitude, and a positive belief in our abilities will help with re-creating your future.

So the question is - How do you want to write the next chapter of your life? It is up to you, and the possibilities are endless.

Take care, Marcy