The Journey Story

Career transition is like so many other challenges in life. It can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders – like you are somehow immersed in darkness, waiting for a sunrise that never seems to come. The process of finding your next career step can take an extended period of time, offer unusual difficulties or go in unpredictable directions.  Regardless of your unique circumstances, each passing day can lead to worry, stress and even despair. The passage of time holds the grave prospect of diminishing your faith in yourself and, even worse, in God.

I went through my first career transition in early 2003. I was 41 years old, in good health, and had been blessed with a solid work history, nice advancement, interesting positions and stable employers. More importantly, I was also blessed with a great support structure: a loving wife and son, supportive parents (who raised me in a Christian home), a great church and lots of special friends, both Christian and non-Christian. How long could it possibly take for me to find a job?

Well…141 resumes sent…21 promising responses and finally…14 months later…a job. Not a casual effort, I worked 40 hours a week, dedicated to finding answers to these and other difficult questions:

• How can I most effectively apply my talents, skills and experiences in a new role?
• What profession can feed my passions?
• What job can offer a positive moral and ethical environment?
• What career can help me become a better friend, spouse and parent?
• What steps should I follow to find the job that God has in mind for me?

Please don't let the time span of my "Journey" frighten you - I pray that yours is very short. But, as strange as it may sound, I now believe this period of time was necessary for my Christian growth.

Through God's guidance, I discovered a number of profound insights during my Journey, the most powerful one being: You have a choice. You can decide for yourself whether:

• You want your Journey to strengthen your relationship with God or damage it;
• You are going to approach adversity with joy and faith or with fear and anguish; or
• The pitfalls along the way will serve to increase your faith in God or mire you in depression. 

Don't get me wrong: you will likely experience low points along the way – I certainly did.   But God always seemed to work little miracles to keep me going: an embrace from a family member, a phone call or encouraging conversation from a friend, a kind word from a stranger, or a lead on a new opportunity.  I truly believe that, if you prayerfully endeavor to put your complete trust in God, you will be blessed with a Journey similar to mine: a voyage of self-discovery, intimacy with God, strengthened family relationships, deepening friendships and, in the end, the proof that God had a plan all along.

In March of 2004, I moved from Charlotte, NC to Nashville, TN to start my new job. My family would follow in June, so I had some time to get my feet wet in the new position, learn about my new city and spend some quiet time by myself. Throughout my 14-month Journey, I had commented many times: "When this career transition is over, I need to publish the process I've learned from my experience - maybe it could help others.” This was the perfect time to get it done, right? But somehow it just didn't happen. Thankfully, before I abandoned my objective, I opened my PC and composed a 40-step outline. That's it – what a failure. As time passed, I would think about my failed project on occasion…then just go back to living life.  I even went through another (shorter) career transition a few years later…amazingly, no thought of picking the project back up. Outside of an occasional conversation with an unemployed friend or colleague, I just got lazy.

Flash forward – it's February of 2009 and I'm driving to church. For some reason my family was not with me that day, so I was alone in the car. Suddenly, inspiration hit.  I felt like God was telling me to stop making excuses and start sharing my Journey experience with others. Although I lost my momentum from time to time over the following months, God found some divine ways to prod me forward: friends (old and new) to hold me accountable and review the material, a minister (and good friend) to strengthen the Biblical references, and a web developer and graphic designer to help get the program online.

I strongly feel that this program is NOT about me. In fact, I originally planned to launch it anonymously. Over time, however, I have come to realize that some might question the authenticity of my message if I took that approach. So, with humility, I offer this Christian Guide to Career Transition by the grace of God. May it assist you in charting your Journey from darkness to sunrise, discovering God's will for your life and career.

God Bless,
Clark Liddell