Time for a change? 6 questions to decide if changing careers or moving abroad is the right move

I feel like I face these types of “life-changing” questions every couple of years.

You as well at some point had to face(or are about to) decisions with the potential to completely shape your path.

And being stuck in indecision hell is a position is the worst part of it(I’ve been in several times and it sucks big time).

Once you make a decision it feels like all the weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

I’ll share with you a fear-setting/decision-making exercise I borrowed from Tim Ferris(who borrowed from Seneca) that I assure will get you a yes or no decision within 10 minutes no matter how big the change you’re facing.

You only need to answer these 6 questions:

#1 What is the worst-case scenario if I pursue this goal?

Fear may be the most powerful motivator for taking action (google: fear for driving action in copywriting)
Here’s an example:

Say you are considering quitting your job to learn to code in 6 months and pursue a career as a Software developer.

What is the worst-case scenario that can happen?

1. You use up all your savings
2. You realize it will take longer than 6 months
3. You quit the developer dream and go broke.

In the worst-case scenario, you are broke and unemployed with two-thirds of the knowledge you need to get a job as a Developer and had (hopefully) a great 6 months of studying, reading, and drinking lattes.

Nobody died and you are not in jail.

Is it as bad as you thought?

#2 What is the most likely outcome if I take action toward this goal?

This is not even the best-case scenario, we are talking about the most likely outcome.

Let’s see how good it can be.

I’ll take the same want-quit-my-job-to-be-a-dev example.

The more likely outcome?

1. You gain 12GB of new knowledge
2. You use up your savings
3. You receive a job offer at the end of the 6 months
4. It’s not 100K/year (like in the youtube videos you watch) but is a great start

At the end of 6 months, you got the job you wanted. You are poorer than before (which you knew was going to happen and hopefully prepared for) and started a new career.

Not bad, not bad…

#3 What can I do to prevent the worst-case scenario from happening?

This is where you limit your losses.

What was the worse scenario again?

You are broke and unemployed with two-thirds of the knowledge you need to get a job as a Developer
Ok.

What can you do to prevent this scenario from ever happening?

1. Create a study plan for your 6 months
2. Use the Seinfeld technique to make sure you show up every day
3. Make friends that are attempting the same change to keep each other motivated
4. Reduce your cost of living to the bare minimum to maximize your savings (or just save more money beforehand)
5. Have a backup plan to get back to your old career if it all fails

#4 What steps can I take to recover from a worst-case scenario if it does happen?

If it does happen(very unlikely) and you are now broke and unemployed here are a few things you can do to get back on your feet:

1. Move back with your parents for a short while (if that is an option)
2. Get in touch with people within your old industry to try to be referred to a job position
3. Keep studying while you don’t find a job(you might get the one-third of knowledge you need for a jr dev role)
4. Apply for dev jobs regardless of being ready or not(you’ll never feel ready anyway)
5. If it all fails, show up at your closest construction site ready to work and ask for a job or at the nearby restaurant.

#5 Will this change take me closer or further from my ideal future?

I know it’s hard to have a clear vision of your ideal future (trust me, I struggle with this one)

On the other hand, if I ask you right now to tell me something you don’t want to do, or someone you don’t want to be like, you will likely give me an answer on the spot.

That is why I find it easier to create an anti-future-vision.

As an example, here are a few things in my anti-future vision:

• I work on weekends/holidays/night shifts
• I work traveling
• I don’t spend time with my family
• I don’t read anymore
• I am out of shape
• I am an expert procrastinator

The list goes on…

Being afraid of not changing will force you to change.

Again, fear may be the most powerful motivator for taking action.

#6 Will you regret not making this decision on your deathbed?

If you are still unsure about taking or not the leap, try the ultimate question:

Will I regret not having done this on my deathbed?

That is as far as I can help you.

And last but not least important consider items 1 and 5 of this tweet:

Ryan Holiday

@ryanholiday

5 Stoic lessons from Seneca:

1. We suffer more in imagination than in reality
2. Associate only with people who improve you
3. The greatest remedy for anger is delay
4. Value your time more than your possessions
5. Death is not in the distant future. We are dying every day

16:00 PM - 01 May 2023

Best of luck in your new beginning.

Here here to watch a video of the original fear-setting exercise from Tim Ferris