Welcome to this week's episode of the Modern Mentor Podcast. I'm your host, Rachel Cook.

Today, I'll be sharing some tips for anyone who's feeling the itch to explore a new career path but isn't quite ready to step off the

current path. We'll cover some low-risk ways to get the insight and experience you may just be

looking for. Unemployment, overwhelm, disengagement, and reprioritization of what matters most

professionally. These are just a few of the issues that friends and clients have raised with me

in recent weeks. For all kinds of reasons, 2020 has prompted many of us to pause and reflect.

We're wondering, we're questioning, am I on the right professional path? Am I striving for an

outcome I still care about? If this sentiment resonates with you, you may

want to explore alternative careers. But how can you start that exploration without putting

your current career at risk? Start by doing some reconnaissance. So you commute to your office,

or your basement, and your first thought of the day is,

ugh, this again? Maybe you're just in a slump and you need to recharge. Or maybe you're burning

out and in need of a bit of a digital detox. But it's possible you're in need of a real change.

Is there something you could imagine yourself doing with more passion and pleasure?

It's time to start thinking. Who do you know or have access to? Who's already doing a version of

the thing you think you'd be happier doing? Maybe you're handling account management for an agency,

but you've always dreamed of becoming a teacher. Teaching seems noble and purposeful,

and you suspect you'd love to spend your days with actual children versus colleagues who

sometimes behave like children. You'd have to go back to school to get the credentials that would

land you at the head of a classroom. And that is no small commitment. So before you make the leap, first take a step.

Try talking to some teachers about their experience of what they do. Be thoughtful in who you

connect with. Talking to a first year teacher whose rose-colored glasses are still on may leave you

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