60 Postcards: Create. Share. Inspire. Bringing you news every Tuesday on the ongoing 60 Postcards journey (you can read a summary of the story here), and on Friday I share a story of an inspirational person, project or cause.
How many of us leave school at the age of sixteen or eighteen and know exactly where we are heading career-wise? Some do, and I can only imagine how satisfying that must be – to have a clear sense of direction and certainty about what you will be when you ‘grow up’.
If you are anything like me though, you will have given several different answers to the question, ‘what do you want to do?’ over the years. When I was younger I would flit between interior design, teaching, starting my own business (of what, I never knew), TV presenting, writing, managing (what or who? Never knew that either).
I think that is difficult to determine which industry that you belong in without experiencing the world of work first-hand. In more cases than not, it will require some trial and error, a lot of networking and a great amount of time spent developing your skill sets before you find a role where you are finally able to say, ‘I love my job’.
I imagine that many people reading this post have felt trapped in a job before, or perhaps do now. It is a very topical subject amongst my friends at the moment, for sure. We have sat down over a drink and spent hours talking about what we really want to do. But in this economic climate the fear of jumping ship – to make a move or change industry completely – can be utterly terrifying. Those discussions will almost always centre around ‘security’. We need to pay the rent and the bills, right? And we are so busy in our current roles that we find it impossible to believe we can ever escape.
But escape, we can.
“Many people dream of doing something different, but few actually do”, say Dom and Rob – founders of Escape the City.
Escape the City (ESC) is a platform for young professionals who want to move away from the corporate world but are unsure how to go about it. It is a global community and an extremely powerful movement. I have heard about them for a while and the more I read about it, the more I understand why it is so successful.
Dom and Rob (closely followed by friend, Mikey), were three guys working in the city feeling unfulfilled in their jobs. They felt ‘that’ fear of making a change and searched for help and inspiration, but there was nothing out there. Identifying a clear gap in the market, the guys decided that they would create the very service that they were hoping to find themselves. Escape the City was born.
“We are building ESC to match you with the opportunities, connections and inspiration you need to make the leap. You don’t have to work in a big corporate – if you want to find an exciting new job, start your own business or go on a big adventure – you are in the right place.
We see ourselves as a discovery engine. There are masses of people, opportunities and resources out there that you should know about but don’t. Our job is to meaningfully connect you with the information that will help you figure out what you want to do with your life.”
By signing up as a member, you are given the opportunity to attend several events in London, be part of The Escape School, you can receive informative newsletters and you can upload your CV where they can match your skills with relevant opportunities and employers.
Although this project began in London, it is now spreading globally with over 50% of their members and job opportunities outside of the UK. This is all thanks to an enthusiastic and passionate team, who are working so hard to help so many people to pursue alternative career paths.
As you may know already, my personal 60 Postcards journey has encouraged me to change my career. I was working in the corporate world for an energy company until last year and although I worked hard and adored my colleagues, I did feel that something was missing. My heart was telling me that I should be doing something creative. I took a sabbatical from work to write the book and by the end of it I decided not to return – a decision that was driven by my family’s experience of life being too short and a new-found passion for doing what makes me happy. The leap was a scary one but I knew that it had to be done.
Now I have a CV that looks stranger than ever but no one should be afraid of that. I do feel very lucky to be able to say that I love what I do right now but I am still thinking about the next steps to take and I am definitely going to join the Escape the City movement and use the resources and network opportunities that they provide to guide me in the right direction.
So, if you feel like you are stuck in a rut or need some new ideas and inspiration, you should definitely check out the ESC site or follow them on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.
Maybe I will see you at one of their upcoming events? I hope so.
Enjoy your weekends folks.
Rachael x
60 POSTCARDS 