Changing careers can feel a bit like a divorce. But not just from a job.

It can feel like breaking up with a part of yourself.

The part that introduced you at conferences.
The part that signed emails with a certain title.
The part that felt proud when people asked: “So what do you do?”

When public sector leaders tell me they’re considering a career change, they say it feels like a confession.

Because it doesn’t just feel like leaving a role. It feels like letting go of who they’ve been for years, sometimes decades.

And THAT can feel existential.

In this episode, I talk about why career change can feel intense on an identity level, and how you can navigate that transition with more clarity and self-compassion.

Is Changing Your Public Sector Career An Identity Question?

You didn’t just work in the public sector. You became a public sector leader. You invested energy, belief, long hours, and a sense of mission.

So stepping away feels like giving up on something sacred. It can feel like betraying a version of yourself that once had such clarity and purpose.

That’s why career change can feel so much scarier than people expect.

There’s an important distinction here that many people miss: Change and transition are not the same thing. 

Change is external:  A recession. An election. A restructure. A resignation letter. A LinkedIn update.

Transition is internal: It’s what happens inside you as you let go of one identity and grow into another.

A change can happen in a day. A transition can take months – or years! 

Most leaders plan the change. Very few prepare for the transition.

3 Phases of Career Change Public Sector Leaders Need to Navigate

A change thinker called William Bridges described three phases:

  1. The ending: This is where you acknowledge what you’re losing: Status. Community. A sense of certainty. There is often grief here – and that’s normal. Skipping this part doesn’t make it disappear; it just resurfaces later.
  2. The neutral zone: This is the in-between. You’re no longer who you were, but not yet who you’re becoming. It can feel disorienting… but it’s also a powerful creative space. This is where you choose what to keep, what to let go of, and what new habits or identities you want to create.
  3. The new beginning: This is when you start to inhabit your new identity. Some people describe it as shedding a layer. Others experience it as adding a layer to who they already are.

How Public Sector Leaders Can Prepare For Their Transition

Career is only ONE part of identity. 

Think of ALL the transitions you’ve already navigated:

Each time, you didn’t just change roles. You changed who you were in the world.  And you survived. You adapted. You became another version of yourself.

This is why I see career transitions as an invitation. Yes, there is loss. But there is also possibility.

You get to decide:

You might build a portfolio career. You might blend policy expertise with consulting, teaching, or creative work. You might live out several careers in one lifetime.

As you navigate this, focus on 3 things:

If you’re contemplating a career shift, don’t just plan the job change. Prepare for the identity transition underneath it.

Be proactive. Be compassionate with yourself. And be playful as you explore how you want to evolve in future. 

This is exactly the work I do with my clients in my 5-months Find Your Career Space programme.

I help public sector leaders like you navigate not just the strategy, but the identity shift beneath it. 

Find more details on the Work With Yvonne page on my website, spacetoshiftyourcareer.com/work-with-yvonne 

If what you read there resonates, fill out the application on that page. Then I’ll be in touch to set up a free discovery call to see if we’re a good fit.

I’d love to support you on your career change journey. Looking forward to finding you in my inbox.

Until next time: make space, rediscover you, and then take action.

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TOPIC: Design Your Next Career Move, Envision Your Possible Future, From Paralyzed to Energized