Kickstart Your Career Change
A 6-week online course to help you get unstuck, find direction and Escape into more fulfilling work.
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Want to do something different in your career – but not sure where to start?
Kickstart Your Career Change is a practical 6-week community experience that will help you get over your career change fears and hold you accountable to make small but bold steps in an exciting new direction – even if you don't know exactly what you want to do yet.
Join a community of likeminded people all over the world and make change together.
25 People. 6 Weeks. 1 Mission.
Next Intake: Mid-Jan 2017
Limited to 25 people max. Scroll down for more info.
Can't make this intake? Put your email address below to be notified about summer 2017 intake.
Life is too short to do work that doesn't matter to you.
Since 2010, we've helped thousands of people Escape into more fulfilling work and start businesses through our Escape School in London. We've gathered knowledge from our 250,000+ Escape community members around the world to learn what works. We've dissected tried-and-tested lessons from career coaches, psychologists, entrepreneurs, philosophers, adventurers and other successful Escapees to distill a set of principles that work.
We've distilled our best career change lessons into this 6-week course.
Making a big career change can be scary – but it's a lot more doable with a solid framework and alongside a community of likeminded people.
By the end of this course:
You'll avoid the traps most career changers fall for.
We'll debunk common career change myths – like the "Find Your Passion!" myth that says you must first find your one true passion before you get started.
You'll address your Blockers head on.
Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear of career suicide. Not enough time, money, skills, confidence...Blockers are the real or perceived obstacles standing in your way. You'll identify your top Blockers and make a plan of attack.
You'll identify how much change you actually need to make.
Some people need a 180-degree change; others a 1-degree shift. You'll uncover which ingredients of fulfilling work are missing for you and identify what changes you need to make.
You'll get clearer on what truly matters to you.
We each have a unique set of values, interests, dreams and curiosities that hold clues to our future direction. Together we'll unlock and chase after these.
You'll create new opportunities for yourself.
We'll dissect the behaviours and tactics that successful career changers and entrepreneurs use to create exciting new opportunities on their own terms.
You'll move from thinking to DOING.
Real-world challenges will help you get out of your head, challenge your comfort zone and start to take small, bold steps – even if you're not 100% sure where you want to go yet.
You'll launch an Escape Project to test out a new direction.
By the end of this course you'll pick a direction that excites you and launch your own Escape project to test your assumptions and learn about your potential path.
You'll gain +25 new Escape buddies around the world.
You'll complete the lessons alongside a group of Escape buddies to ensure you keep moving forward. Change is much more doable and a lot more fun with a group of likeminded people.
You'll feel prepared and empowered to keep moving forward.
The reality is that any meaningful career change takes much longer than 6 weeks – but after this course you'll feel equipped with the tools and community to keep you moving forward.
Your Course Leaders & Mentors
You'll also be joined by Escape mentors to help you make progress.
Matthew Trinetti
Matthew Trinetti is a former IBM consultant turned writer, traveler, entrepreneur and education designer. He joined Escape in 2014 to help launch the Escape School in London and has since designed and led career change programs to help hundreds of people in London Escape into more fulfilling work. His work has appeared on Quartz, New York Observer and The Huffington Post. He's also a TEDx speaker and writes on his blog GiveLiveExplore.com.
Rachel Smith
Rachel escaped a career in architecture in 2015 to build a portfolio career. She runs her own consultancy to guide people through change in their work, whether its growing a business, leaning in to creative challenges or designing a new visual identity. Her work looks at how the power of unlocking stories can help individuals and businesses to step in to new ideas for themselves. Rachel also works as an Escape Tribe leader, a startup mentor and loves to write and illustrate.
How does it work?
Each week you'll receive a series of lessons, including:
Escape Curriculum
Instructor videos, career change tips from experts, and curated reading and watching assignments to help you learn the principles.
A Series of Challenges
You'll be assigned 6 action-based, real world Challenges to help get you out of your head, challenge your comfort zone, and move you into action. This is truly a learning-by-doing experience.
A Community of Likeminded People
You'll work with your fellow classmates on challenges, help each other move forward, and share what you're learning and experiencing. Community is the secret sauce to change.
How is this different from other online courses?
Most online courses deliver education. But for any sort of big life transition like career change, two additional principles are necessary and important: Action and Community.
You'll be expected to engage with both Action (through Challenges) and Community (through our private Facebook group, video chat, and other tools). You'll get the most out of this experience if you're honest with yourself and willing to get your hands dirty with the challenges.
We run the course by intakes with designated start and end dates to build a community and build momentum around making change.
The next intake begins mid Jan 2017.
What outcomes can you expect?
Here are some stories from our London programs:
Laina escaped teaching for her own photography project.
Patrick escaped the management consultancy to launch his own business.
Claire escaped accounts management to become a master of her own time, volunteering and engaging with organisations she is deeply interested in.
Neelie escaped finance to transition into freelance consultancy.
Matt transitioned from a full-time consulting job to solopreneurship.
Some more examples:
Reshma and Effie both quit their jobs as city lawyers.
Sam left a stressful commercial finance job for a business intelligence role with a small retailer.
Natasha moved from part-time project manager to freelance.
Meredith is preparing to live in Thailand and focus on writing.
Lisa negotiated a 4-day week with her management consultancy to spend more time drawing.
Dan took a job at a new branding agency but negotiated to work from home one a week.
For Alice “work is not my life anymore” and finishes work early to go horse riding each week.
Every Escape is different. You'll get out whatever work you're willing to put in.
What change will you dare to make?
Week-By-Week Outline
You'll be expected to review the lessons, complete the exercises, and challenges by evening local time each week. Expected weekly commitment: 3-5 hours each week.
WEEK ONE: Getting Unstuck
1. Welcome & Introductions
2. The Future of Work
3. The Ingredients of Fulfilling Work
4. The Psychology of Stuckness
5. Common Career Change Myths
WEEK TWO: Know Thyself
1. Connecting The Dots in Reverse
2. Your Likes, Dislikes & Peak Moments
3. Your Strengths, Superpowers & Talents
4. Your Values, Purpose & Mission
5. How Much Change Do You Need to Make?
WEEK THREE: Start Where You Are
1. Where To Start (When You Don't Know Where to Start)
2. The Power of Perspective
3. Chase Your Curiosities & Follow Your Frustrations
4. Your Resources, Skills & Assets
5. Embrace Your Inner Artist
WEEK FOUR: Draw Your Map
1. Where Are You Going?
2. Your Personal Definition of Success
3. The Magic of Dreaming Big
4. Find Your Heroes
5. Your Map of Possibilities
WEEK FIVE: Face Your Blockers
1. Big Blocker #1: Not Enough Time
2. Big Blocker #2: Money Worries
3. Big Blocker #3: Relationships
4. Big Blocker #4: Yourself
5. Stoicism & Worst-Case Scenario Planning
WEEK SIX: Test Your Way Into a New Direction
1. The Project Mindset - Be Like an Artist
2. The Experimental Mindset - Test Like a Scientist
3. The Hustle Mindset - Act Like an Entrepreneur
4. How to Create Opportunities For Yourself
5. Launch Your Escape Project
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Instructor
Escape The City is on a mission to liberate talented people from unfulfilling corporate jobs. Since 2014 we've helped over 1000 people Escape into more fulfilling work and start businesses through our London-based Tribes programs. Life is too short to do work that doesn't matter. Join our community at escapethecity.org.
What past students have said about our London programs:
“I feel like I have a really solid framework to resurrect my Escape, which had stalled slightly over the past year due to a lack of direction and confidence. There are so many tools that I have picked up and a really diverse group that I feel I can turn to for motivation.” –Victoria
“Totally worth every penny. Would have paid a lot more over the course of many years for different types of things that wouldn’t have given the same unified effect.“ –Juju
“I feel it's been money well spent, the experience has confirmed it is. I've met more than 50 new people, and done a lot in that time... I feel I have the tools to have a better life going forward.” –Sam
“Last year I made a decision to spend money in experience rather than things, as experiences are supposed to create more happiness. In that context, the investment has repaid a thousandfold, and I expect it to continue to repay, lovingly tended.” –Meredith
“I would definitely do it all over again. It was very much worth it. The size of the investment also made me stick to it more than I would have otherwise when I hit the rough patches.” –Alice
Next Intake: mid-Jan 2017
Limited to 25 people max. Enroll today.
Note: Prices are in £ GBP.