You may remember that a few weeks back I wrote a post on Remote Year, and other programs that merge the concepts of travel, work, and career. In that post, I mentioned a really cool company called Pivot Journeys and since then connected with the company’s awesome founder, Emily Lamia.
Through my work at The Prepary, I speak to so many people who aren’t as happy as they’d like to be in their careers. Some, I can help right away because they’re ready to launch into a job search. Others aren’t quite ready for that yet.
They know they don’t want to keep doing what they’re doing, but they’re also not sure what’s next.
I see a lot of people who are stuck in this sense and I guess Emily did too. I’ll let her explain the rest!
–
GUEST POST BY EMILY LAMIA, FOUNDER OF PIVOT JOURNEYS
It was shortly after New Year’s in 2015. My husband and I were walking through Prospect Park in Brooklyn headed to catch a movie. During our walk, I found myself thinking that I was going to need to make a pivotal move in my career this year. But what was that going to be?
My mind wandered to thinking about traveling. I felt drawn to the inspiration that comes from being in a place I’ve never been before; it opens me up to new possibilities and lets me escape my everyday routine.
I know it sounds silly, but it was then that the idea hit me. Why wasn’t there a company that actually combined these two things – structured career mapping and travel?
Why not create experiences where people can get inspired and energized about their career through all the benefits that travel provides?
After almost a year of debating, I left my full-time job and jumped into building Pivot Journeys.
There were five big reasons I felt this business needed to exist.
1. It pays to be thoughtful when it comes to pivotal decisions
The more I started to talk to people about the idea, the more I realized that people have so many points throughout their career where they’re pivoting.
If you’re in your mid-thirties like me, just think about how many jobs you’ve had and how many times you’ve changed up your career slightly (or even majorly) over the years.
- That first job you take out of college and what a big decision that seems like
- The second job that charts a different course or pushes you further down a career trajectory
- The decision to go back to school is a big investment and decision point
And those are just the transitions you might navigate before you’ve even turned 30!
In today’s world, charting your career path can be overwhelming and also incredibly exciting with so many possibilities. The need to reflect and make thoughtful decisions about where you’re going has never been more important.
2. Travel Fuels & Guides the Soul
I’m always thinking about my next trip.
I truly believe that experiencing other cultures makes you think about your own life and world in a new way.
Meeting new people opens you up to different perspectives on life.
Seeing different things is a catalyst to new ideas, connections, and possibilities.
There’s nothing like sitting on a far away beach watching the waves, or viewing a centuries old piece of art, to make you think about your own life and what’s important and meaningful to you.
In the short amount of time that Pivot has existed, we know from countless testimonials that getting out of your everyday routine and environment is the ‘special sauce’ that turbocharges the self-reflection and discovery around your career.
3. To Really Self-Reflect, You Have to Get Away
How many times did I find myself sitting at a café in a European city just people-watching, and thinking about what my future looked like? A lot. I would get lost in my thoughts of what that future picture looked like – and it was the travel that took me there.
There’s a reason that when we’re mentally exhausted, we fantasize about buying a one-way ticket and getting away.
You don’t recharge or have the same revelations about your future sitting at your desk.
This reflection time in a new environment is your pathway and the key to understanding who you are, where your passions lie, and what you want next out of life.
4. I Have Always Loved Helping Individuals Grow & Thrive in Their Careers.
I’m an individual capacity-builder; it’s in my bones.
Helping a friend strategize over how to ask for a raise? Love it. Teaching workshops on how to be a better networker? Love it. Getting the call from someone who needs to talk through a job offer? Love it.
While I’ve always been the go-to person for my network on career issues, that doesn’t mean I was particularly great at navigating my own career. I only realized that doing this work was my ‘purpose’ in the last few years!
I was lucky enough to have experience doing this work in politics years ago, having run a career development training and coaching organization. I missed that work and after a few years away, knew this was what was supposed to be doing with my career.
5. I Wish Pivot Journeys Had Existed for Me
The biggest reason that I started Pivot Journeys was that I wish I could have gone on a trip like this in my past.
I spent about a decade working in electoral politics. That’s a career path that often finds you out of a job after Election Day. The work is cyclical in nature, and you always have to be thinking about where you want to go next, and how you’re going to get there.
I’ve finished many jobs and decided to travel the globe, not knowing what was next for me. I wish that some of those trips could have been more structured to help me figure out my transition. And that I could have traveled with people who were going through the same soul-searching I was.
I believe everyone’s personal career adventure deserves a real-life adventure.
All of these reasons led me to know it was time for me to Pivot.
–
Emily Lamia is the Founder of Pivot Journeys, a startup offering unique travel experiences that take you to top destinations and give you access to career mapping workshops, tools and coaching to make your getaway more than just a vacation, but a self-discovery adventure for your career. Check out upcoming journeys here.
