Finding a New Direction at Work
Publik
•
4 November 2026
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Dengarkan & tinjau ulang
Tambahkan setidaknya 2 Kartu Voca untuk membuka Dengarkan & tinjau ulang dan berlatih dengan audio.
Talk naturally about changing career direction, building on your past experience and fitting training into adult life.
- Taking stock: expressions for feeling stuck in a role and deciding to change paths.
- Valuing experience: collocations for transferable skills, background and official recognition.
- Managing the transition: practical phrases for going back into training, covering costs and balancing study with everyday life.
Pay attention to the prepositions that follow verbs like se reconvertir and se former, and notice how French uses everyday institutional terms like bilan de compétences and en alternance.
Kartu Voca
1.
faire le point
to take stock, to reassess
Après dix ans dans la même entreprise, j'avais besoin de faire le point sur ma carrière.
After ten years at the same company, I needed to take stock of my career.
Originally a navigation expression for checking a ship's position on a chart. Follow it with 'sur' when specifying what you are taking stock of.
2.
tourner en rond
to be stuck in a rut, to go around in circles
Mon travail ne me déplaît pas, mais j'ai l'impression de tourner en rond depuis deux ans.
I don't dislike my job, but I feel like I've been stuck in a rut for the past two years.
3.
changer de voie
to change direction, to change career paths
Il n'est jamais trop tard pour changer de voie si tu ne t'épanouis plus dans ton métier.
It's never too late to change direction if you no longer find your work fulfilling.
Notice that there is no article before 'voie' after 'changer de'.
4.
se reconvertir
to retrain, to change careers
Beaucoup d'anciens cadres choisissent de se reconvertir dans l'artisanat.
Many former executives choose to change careers and go into a skilled trade.
Followed by 'dans' plus a field or sector, or 'en' plus a profession, as in 'se reconvertir en boulanger'.
5.
bifurquer
to pivot, to branch off
J'ai commencé par des études de droit avant de bifurquer vers la communication.
I started out studying law before pivoting to communications.
Literally means to fork or branch off on a road, and is very common in everyday French for changing study or career tracks.
6.
le bilan de compétences
skills assessment, career assessment
Faire un bilan de compétences m'a aidée à voir plus clair dans mes projets professionnels.
Doing a skills assessment helped me get a clearer picture of my career goals.
In France, a 'bilan de compétences' is an official, structured career assessment with a consultant that employees can fund through their state training account.
7.
valoriser ses compétences
to showcase one's skills, to make the most of one's skills
Même si tu changes de domaine, tu dois apprendre à valoriser tes compétences passées.
Even if you're changing fields, you need to learn how to showcase your past skills.
'Valoriser' has no single-word English equivalent: it means bringing out the value of something and making others see what it is worth.
8.
transférable
transferable
La gestion de projet et le sens de l'organisation sont des compétences facilement transférables.
Project management and organizational skills are easily transferable.
9.
s'appuyer sur ses acquis
to build on one's experience, to draw on what one already knows
Plutôt que de tout oublier, essaie de t'appuyer sur tes acquis pour évoluer.
Rather than forgetting everything you've done, try to build on your prior experience to move forward
As a plural noun, 'les acquis' refers to all the knowledge, skills and experience you have already built up.
10.
le bagage
background, experience
Avec un tel bagage technique, tu n'auras aucun mal à te faire une place dans ce secteur.
With such a strong technical background, you'll have no trouble finding your place in this industry.
Used in the singular when talking figuratively about someone's professional or academic background.
11.
faire reconnaître son expérience
to get credit for one's experience, to have one's experience recognized
Après cinq ans sur le terrain, elle a pu faire reconnaître son expérience pour obtenir un diplôme.
After five years in the field, she was able to get credit for her work experience toward a degree.
In France, people can turn years of practical work into an official qualification through a process called 'la validation des acquis', or 'VAE'.
12.
repartir de zéro
to start from scratch, to start over
Changer de métier à quarante ans ne veut pas forcément dire qu'on repart de zéro.
Changing careers at forty doesn't necessarily mean you're starting from scratch.
13.
reprendre une formation
to go back to school, to enter a training program
Ce n'est pas évident de reprendre une formation quand on a déjà une vie de famille.
It's not easy to go back to school when you already have a family.
'Reprendre' is used even if it is a completely new subject, because you are going back to being a learner after time in the workforce.
14.
se former
to train, to learn
Je me forme au développement web grâce à des cours en ligne le soir.
I'm training in web development by taking online classes in the evening.
Followed by 'à' before the skill or subject you are learning.
15.
en alternance
work-study, apprenticeship
J'ai choisi un cursus en alternance pour continuer à toucher un salaire pendant mes études.
I chose a work-study program so I could keep earning a paycheck while in school.
Describes a work-study arrangement where you split your time between classes and paid work in a company.
16.
prendre en charge
to cover, to pay for
Mon employeur a accepté de prendre en charge une partie des frais de scolarité.
My employer agreed to cover part of the tuition costs.
17.
aménager ses horaires
to adjust one's schedule, to arrange flexible hours
J'ai demandé à aménager mes horaires pour pouvoir assister aux cours du vendredi.
I asked to adjust my schedule so I could attend Friday classes.
18.
dégager du temps
to free up time
Passer à temps partiel m'a permis de dégager du temps pour préparer mon concours.
Going part-time allowed me to free up time to study for my licensing exam.
19.
concilier
to balance, to juggle
Le plus dur pendant cette année de transition, c'était de concilier le travail et les révisions.
The hardest part during that transition year was balancing work and studying.
Often used with 'et' or 'avec' between the two things you are trying to balance, such as work, family and study.
20.
sauter le pas
to take the plunge, to make the leap
J'ai longtemps hésité par peur de perdre ma sécurité financière, puis j'ai fini par sauter le pas.
I hesitated for a long time out of fear of losing my financial security, and then I finally took the
You will also hear 'franchir le pas' with the exact same meaning.
21.
se lancer
to get started, to dive right in
Une fois mon diplôme en poche, je me suis lancé sans attendre.
Once I had my degree in hand, I dove right in without waiting.
22.
trouver sa voie
to find one's calling, to find one's path
Après plusieurs expériences très différentes, il a enfin le sentiment d'avoir trouvé sa voie.
After working several very different jobs, he finally feels like he's found his calling.