- On March 16, 2020, France entered a curfew to deal with the coronavirus. This extraordinary time was an opportunity to question our lifestyle and reflect on a new post-lockdown society.
- Three years later, 20 Minutes takes stock of the promises of a fairer, greener and simply more enjoyable world to live in.
- In this first episode, we are interested in those who three years ago began a survey that led to the emergence of a search for meaning in their work. Some have taken the plunge and tell their story at 20 minutes.
Already three years. On March 16, 2020, France discovered containment. A lunar bracket that has seen the planet grind to a halt in an attempt to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. There, withdrawn at home, many, regardless of their age and situation, took stock of their lives. “Did I make the right decisions? Does my work make sense and does it fulfill me? Does this make me feel useful? A question whose answers have awakened the desire for professional retraining.
But if you find that your work is no longer what you want it to be and you still need to make a living, what do you do? When the temptation is high, leaving a steady job to start a completely different job can be scary and cannot be improvised. But it’s not impossible. 20 Minutes readers who took the plunge tell us about their adventure.
“My work didn’t reflect my values”
A well paid and interesting job, on paper, what more could you ask for? That’s what Mélanie wondered, whose position as Communications Director for Instagram France would be more than a dream come true. “I had a great job, I was very happy, but before imprisonment, people fled to social networks. And unlike half of my buddies who made pottery and bread, I worked ten times more without the bright side: no events, meetings, very active social life. I experienced this isolation very badly and had the feeling that I had reached the end, that I was at a turning point. I was 42 years old, I said to myself it’s now or never. And with my grandfathers, bricklayers and carpenters, and my parents in facility and construction management, I wanted to do something that would combine these professions: interior design.”
A survey that Claire, 28, then a product engineer in a textile distribution company, also experienced. A company she worked for, mostly in Bangladesh, “Fast fashion factory where very badly paid people make our polluting clothes. I’ve thought about it before, but now I’ve really thought about the environmental and social issues related to our consumption patterns, which sparked a deep desire to find meaning in my work. And to create a company based on my beliefs.” This reflection is part of “the awareness of a certain form of alienation from work”, analyzes Sophie Caruelle, consultant in HR practices, specialist in changes in the world of work and author of the book For which world to work? (ed. L’Harmattan). The detention showed that it was possible to work differently. Many have said to themselves, “I can do my job by being more respectful of my aspirations”. We are therefore seeing an upsurge in self-employment, especially among the under-30s.”
At 47, Frédéric also made a 180-degree turn: “I was in financial consulting to help people who were already making a lot of money earn even more. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find value in what I was doing, especially since the climate at my company was stressful and not particularly benevolent, he confides. As the lockdown exacerbated the precarious situation of certain populations, this feeling that I wasn’t helping the people who needed it most became too strong. I couldn’t go on any longer.” Here too, “the imprisonment revealed the underlying labor crisis: psychosocial risks, illness and stress have been making the workforce rumble for some time,” explains Sophie Caruelle.
Coaching “to eliminate my fears and doubts”
But once the observation is established, you still have to have the courage to start. “And when you have a great job, you have kids and you’re over 40, it’s scary,” Mélanie admits. Then a friend told me about an online coaching program. This enabled me to start an introspection and sort my desires according to my personality, my deep aspirations and my abilities with the support of a coach who helped me chart my professional project. And above all, to clear my doubts.
A phase that Claire also went through. “Right after giving birth, I took an online training course to become a change entrepreneur. This allowed me to discover other people’s journeys that had started before me and showed that it was possible to follow other paths. But it’s a life coach who helped me remove my psychological brakes, calm my fears about financial security, and share my project with family who I feared would disappoint.”
Frédéric himself “passed an aptitude test that confirmed my aspirations and my values: I will become a social and family economics consultant to support all people in financial and social need. In the meantime, I’ll be doing internships to choose the industry I want to specialize in.” In general, “you don’t quit your job overnight, you do a competency assessment to explore your expectations, values and needs, engage with facing the reality of the market and maturing your project by meeting people who work in this profession that interests us”, confirms Sophie Caruelle.
Prepare for your conversion
Once her doubts have been dispelled, “preparing for her retraining also means recognizing opportunities,” adds the specialist. Many negotiate an amicable exit to qualify for unemployment, finance additional training that can be lengthy and requires financial support: unemployment, savings, or spouse. This is also the blocking point for many, emphasizes Sophie Caruelle. Polls show that two thirds of the French would like to retrain, but many cannot”. To achieve this, Frédéric is currently working temporarily to “postpone my unemployment rights to the next school year when I start my three-year apprenticeship. I’m also starting thanks to my wife, who has a good situation and supports me,” he explains.
To bring her project to life, Claire donned her new entrepreneur hat. “I was helped by a free business start-up support network and I asked for an honorary loan to secure my funding.” In practice “there are state and national start-up grants and scholarships if you’re in an innovative sector ‘ confirms Sophie Caruelle. Then “given the situation, I dropped the idea of a store for a digital and nomadic store housed in a tiny house pulled by an electric car. Along the way, my father, who had retired from a large company, shared his experiences and joined me in this adventure. And a few months ago we launched Tiny Happy, which offers only healthy products, without controversial fabrics or plastics, ethical, ecological, local and organic.”
Mélanie was able to integrate a six-month apprenticeship as an interior designer and started her business, which of course slowly took off “by word of mouth and via social networks”. She’s already thinking about the sequel. “Containment has accelerated the interior design market: people are more at home, they want to feel comfortable there, add an office or a bedroom, and I love the idea of giving life to their taste.”
At first none of the three converts regretted their choice. “I’m finally doing something that suits me,” says Claire happily. “I will certainly not earn as much as before, but in the fifteen years that I have left to work, I will be on a path that corresponds to my ideas and that I can be proud of,” assures Frédéric. After all, “life is short,” adds Mélanie. Reinventing yourself is an opportunity. Even if I don’t succeed, I will never regret trying.”