Career Reinvention or; Learning how to start over again without wincing

Who ever said re-inventing one's career was easy certainly never undertook the endeavour. Then again, if it were so easy, many more people would be leaving their current careers in pursuit of another and there would be fewer and fewer unhappy workers.

For the past five months, I have been attempting to reinvent myself, more proactively lately as the last of the summer warmth drains from the day and the chill of fall stirs one back to reality. Harsh reality. Long time readers know about my decision to transition from archives to another field. It's well documented.

The reinvention journey, or quite simple, how to start over again without wincing at the sudden shift in your life, is one I had anticipated as being difficult but not this hard. But there is a learning experience in all this, thankfully. One big lesson: Check your ego at the door.

Why let go of your ego? Well for one thing, when you start over, you are no longer a name, but rather a number. No more Mr. Digital Archivist. It's now, Hello, Applicant #S6009767. Your network? Well, that too changes. Case in point: I cold called (or cold emailed) a local organization, figuring, hey, maybe there is an available part-time job there. Instead, I received this sobering response:

Hello,
Thank you very much for your CV. Please note that currently we have no vacancies. However, I have forwarded your CV to our recruitment section.

Now if this poor soul only knew what I had accomplished and what I can do, he probably would have re-considered. Ahh...there's that ego again. Check. Check. Check.

Then there are those application exams that one must pass. Exams? To get a job? Have any of the Presidential candidates written exams to get to where they are now? Nope. I doubt it.

Uhmm...politics. Now there's something to consider.