As we all know the current climate is less than favourable to jobseekers and those who are employed have their own concerns about job security; or the worrying lack of it. The unfortunate truth is that redundancy is becoming more and more common and it’s a worrying time for those in the working world. The media would have you believe that the world is falling apart, with every other news story showing a frightening statistic or details of another company buckling under the strain.

The papers and the news are heavily focused on the negative implications of the recession, but what about the positives? Surely there are some? With this in mind it was great to come across a refreshing change from the usual doom and gloom articles, with a piece from the BBC News online magazine that actually speaks about redundancy as a potential positive.

The article focuses on four examples of how redundancy had a positive impact on the individuals in question, as it forced them to re-evaluate what they wanted out of their careers. Redundancy enabled them to ask the fundamental question: ‘what do I really want to do with my life; what would make me truly happy?’ and pursue these dreams without being scuppered by the fear of trying something outside of their comfort zone.

Redundancy allows an individual to really think about their career and gives them the opportunity to have a whole new start. Instead of just having another job, you could gain a career; a passion. The average person spends about one third of their life Monday-Friday at work. So don’t you owe it to yourself to make sure that you spend a third of your time doing something that you really enjoy?

The key is in the push. Redundancy forces you to think about things in a different way. You can explore these options because you won’t be losing out by trying. It’s easy to stick with what is comfortable but taking a risk could pay off, as the article explores. You may have a hobby or a passion, something that you’ve thought was never a possibility and suddenly it could be on the cards as a possible career change. There still must be an element of realism in your goals, you’ll need to consider whether you can earn a similar salary, are there potential job openings in your new vocation and whether you are qualified to undertake them, but there’s nothing impossible about a new start.

This article certainly got me thinking. Although these aren’t the atypical former jobs of the majority, you don’t need to be a former investment banker to make an educated career change. What everyone can do, whether they are employed or not, is think about whether the job they are in is the right one for them. It’s certainly worth putting yourself in this mindset- if I was made redundant tomorrow, what would I truly want to do? Why not mull it over with a cup of tea? You never know, it might just change your life...