The equine industry is a diverse place with professionals of all ages and stages operating within it. Many of us have grown up around horses, but just as many haven’t, and have found our way here simply through our love of the animal. It is important to acknowledge that whatever path has led you here, there is a reason for it and we should all accept that on a fundamental level that anyone with a passion for equestrianism has something to contribute to the sector.
For young people at school, there is limited information available for potential career paths within the industry. That means that for adults looking to change career or formalise their skills, there is even less! It can be hard to identify what qualifications are necessary, how your own educational background relates to your future goals, and what support is available to you. Here at EQUK, we acknowledge the importance of making information accessible, and want to provide a service that is personal, applied and actionable. We know that everyone has complex lives and individual circumstances, and provide you with the resources to allow you make informed choices.
Here are EQUK’s top tips for planning your return to education as a mature student, either looking to work with horses, or to use your equestrian experience to support a career change.
Decide what your end goal is
By identifying where you want to end up, you help to get clear on what it is you actually want to achieve. It’s important this is not about the job itself, and more about the experience and feelings you want to achieve. You should ask yourself the following questions:
- What do you want to feel as a result of returning to education? Do you have this desire because you are interested in learning about something specific? Do you want to feel more satisfied in your professional life? Do you want to have more freedom – either with your time, or financially? You should take time to contemplate these questions in whatever way helps you to feel most connected. Take some time with a journal or a piece of paper, and write down whatever comes to mind for you when asked these questions. There’s no correct answer or structure, just whatever feels right for you.
- What would I like my ideal working day to look like? Think about this in terms of what happens from morning to evening. In an ideal world, what are the things you would like to have time to do, every day? What are the things you need to have time for every day? Take some time with this task, and sit in the feelings that come up when you imagine. Right now, there are no rules or constraints, only what you actually want. This is the vision you are creating for your future, so indulge in it! Focus on feeling in the moment, and take note of what comes up for you. This is how you start to connect with the future you want.
- Identify what is important from these two exercises. By sitting in the feelings that come up, you will hopefully identify what it is that is driving your desire to pursue a certain career. Perhaps it is because it will bring you a sense of emotional or professional fulfillment, or perhaps it is to bring more flexibility into your life. Whatever your ‘why,’ that is the key to the next part!
Now that we have identified why you are interested in pursuing education, we can focus on the practicalities involved.
How do I get there?
So you have realised you want to make a change, and that’s great! You’ve also developed an understanding of why you want to make a change, which is also important. Connecting to your ‘why’ is going to help you stay motivated, and clear in your actions. It will also help you to identify what path is right for you, as it helps your intuition to guide you.
Now, you need to identify what you need to do in order to get there. This will involve gaining the relevant qualifications and the relevant experience. It will also involved identifying your current resources, and ways to support yourself getting more if necessary.
You should now ask yourself the following practical questions:
- How much free time do I currently have? How many lunch hours/evenings/weekends can you dedicate to studying or learning? Are there things in your life you are prepared to sacrifice for a short while to create more time? Be ambitious and optimistic when doing this. When you have things you want to do, you’ll be surprised at how much you can get done!
- How much money are you prepared to personally invest in this? Are you happy to use your savings, or is pay monthly a better scenario for you if you have to spend money yourself? Think as well about additional expenses such as travel and accommodation. A lot of us have resistance and discomfort around money. Try not to let this put you off, and instead sit in the discomfort. That discomfort comes from growing into someone who is different from who you currently are, it’s rooted in personal beliefs and experiences our subconscious mind is using to try and keep us safe. In order for us to find happiness that we don’t currently have, that comes from changing ourselves from within.
- What responsibilities do I have that I cannot change? We all have caring responsibilities of some kind: animals, children, parents, relatives. Which ones can you get support with and which ones are trickier to rearrange?
What do I need to do?
So you’ve identified your ‘why,’ and you’ve also identified some parameters you’re going to have to work within. It’s important to not view these parameters as limitations, and instead think of them as opportunities for personal growth. They may well be things which involve changing the structure of your life, and things which as a result bring you short-term discomfort.
It’s important to learn the difference between identifying that short-term discomfort of changing your life with the feeling of your intuition guiding you away from something. The feeling of short-term discomfort tends to feel like anxiety. It’s the fear of the unknown. Your intuition telling you not to do something feels more like a magnet repelling something, it’s the feeling of an invisible force pushing you away, often in a non-sensical way. It’s like getting the ‘ick’ and you don’t know why.
Now, it’s time for practical action. It’s time to do some research, weigh up your options, and see which ones feel like they’re the best fit for you. When making these decisions, the key things to think about which ones give you the opportunities you need, are compatible with your needs, and make sense from geographical and practical perspectives?
This is where EQUK can help!