Making the decision to start a new career can be intimidating, especially if that career is completely different from what you did before. Everyone that attends a form of CDL training may begin to wonder, “Is this the right choice for me? What if I fail? Will I be able to go back to my old job?” Any of this sound familiar?
Here is how you can get past this fear of starting a new career.
Challenges
Starting a new career holds a set of challenges. It isn’t all about learning how to drive the truck because anyone can learn how to drive one. The biggest challenge is the fear of the unknown.
It is always difficult to learn something new, and it takes time. We don’t want to spend the time it takes to learn something new, and you can’t expect to just know everything. It is difficult to learn how to back up a trailer or learn the management side of being a truck driver.
You can’t expect to know everything immediately starting a new career, especially in the trucking industry. Focus on your training and the day-to-day aspects of your new job as you learn new things every day.
External Support
Having external support during a career change is important as it helps keep your fear from going into overdrive. An external support system creates accountability, and when fear tries to derail you, your friends and family will help keep you on track. Fear around a career change is awful, but you can’t let it control your life.
Change
There are never-ending changes in the world of trucking. You might end up with a new truck that is different from what you trained in or have driven or on a new route. There is always something that will change, and that can be difficult.
However, through these changes, you have the ability to learn so much – you can tackle your fear of the unknown by finding ways to learn about these changes.
Closing
You won’t always be starting a new career. Eventually, this new career will be your new normal. Starting a new career can cause fear and hold a lot of challenges, but with the right support group and understanding that it takes time to learn the trucking industry, you might just find the best career for you!
Here at Fremont Contract Carrier, we want to be part of your trucking journey. Apply to FCC today!