Welcome to a pilot episode for a completely new style of episode, maybe even an entirely new podcast, that I am considering making later this year. I want your honest feedback on this style of episode, how it could be improved, and whether or not it is useful!
At the end of this episode, I will give a little more information about my plans – so stay tuned to the end!
If you had the opportunity to change your career right now, what would you do? If you had the qualifications or skills, which job would you be interested in trying out? If you were financially stable, would you start your own business?
Today, I want to talk about the possibility of changing careers and jobs and talk about these kinds of hypothetical situations! At the same time, let’s practice or learn how to use the second conditional grammar in a real-life situation.
Here is today’s grammar lesson!
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Grammar Lesson
The second conditional is used to talk about unreal or unlikely situations in the present or future. We use it to express hypothetical situations and their possible outcomes.
A hypothetical situation is one that is imagined or supposed, not necessarily real or true. It’s like creating a “what if” scenario where you consider something that could happen, but maybe hasn’t actually happened yet, or might never happen at all.
Earlier today, I was talking to my mum about what she would do if she won the British lottery… this is a very unlikely situation, and we were imagining what we would do in this hypothetical situation.
Here’s how we form the second conditional:
- If clause (conditional clause): This part of the sentence expresses the condition. It typically starts with “if” followed by a simple past verb tense. For example, “If I won the lottery…
- Result clause (main clause): This part of the sentence expresses the hypothetical result of the condition. We use the modal verb “would” followed by the base form of the verb. For example, “…I would buy a new car.”
- If clause + Result clause = If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car”
Here are some more examples:
- If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world. (present/future unreal situation)
- In this example, winning the lottery is an unlikely event in the present or future, and I am imagining what I would do if it were to happen.
- If she studied harder, she would pass the exam. (present unreal situation)
- Here, I am suggesting that if she studied more diligently (which she currently isn’t doing), she would have a better chance of passing the exam.
- If it rained tomorrow, we would stay at home. (future unreal situation)
- This sentence suggests that the I don’t expect it to rain tomorrow, but if it did, my plan would be to stay at home.
- If I were you, I would apologize. (present unreal situation with the verb “to be”)
- This sentence uses “were” instead of “was” because it’s a common structure in English to use “were” with “I” and “you” in the second conditional, regardless of whether the situation is likely or not.
Remember, the second conditional is used for situations that are not true or likely to happen in the present or future. It’s a way to talk about hypothetical or imaginary situations and their possible outcomes.
Dreaming of Changing Careers
[00:05:14] I’m sure we have all dreamed of a career change at some point. I love making podcasts and running Thinking in English, but sometimes I think, if I had the opportunity, maybe I would look for a more stable job.
[00:05:31] I love being a podcaster, but sometimes I wish I had a stable salary and colleagues, rather than being self employed.
[00:05:42] There are many reasons why you might dream of changing careers. You might be looking for a more fulfilling job, a better work life balance, or simply a change of pace.
[00:05:55] Let’s explore this topic in more detail using our new knowledge of the second conditional.
[00:06:02] A friend sent me a message last week. They were congratulating me on the success of thinking in English, and they said the following sentence.
[00:06:12] If I had the opportunity to make my passion my career, I would quit my current job without hesitation.
[00:06:21] Some of you probably feel the same as my friend. For many people, the desire to pursue their passion is the reason behind considering a career change. Your passion could be writing, photography, cooking, or any other creative pursuit.
[00:06:41] Imagining a career centered around something you love doing is incredibly tempting. This was the situation I found myself in two years ago. I had the opportunity to make my passion, podcasting, my career, and I’d still make the same choice.
[00:07:00] If I was presented with the opportunity to pursue my passion full time again, I would not hesitate to leave my previous jobs.
[00:07:10] There are obstacles that can stand in the way of changing careers. Two big ones I can think of are qualifications and finances.
[00:07:20] Is there a career out there that you are interested in but can never do because you don’t have the qualifications? And if you had those qualifications, would you apply for that job?
[00:07:34] I used to think about becoming a doctor, but that would take at least 10 years of training. I would be nearly 40 by the time I achieve that goal. If I possessed the required skills and degrees already, I would probably submit my application to be a doctor today.
[00:07:54] How about you? There are many other careers that require qualifications and specific skills.
[00:08:01] Being a doctor, a vet, an engineer, being a scientist, an astronaut, or a pilot. All of these require a lot of training and qualifications. If you already had the skills and qualifications necessary, would you consider changing to one of these jobs?
[00:08:22] Starting a business is also a common goal. However, it can be financially risky.
[00:08:28] When I started thinking in English, I was working seven days a week. Five days teaching English online and four days doing closing shifts at the local supermarket. I had to do these part time jobs as the podcast could not make any money.
[00:08:46] Would you be willing to take such a financial risk if you had the chance to start your own business?
[00:08:53] I think a really relevant subject for many of you listening is language skills. I’m sure that if you were all fluent and confident in your English skills you would explore careers using English or in English language companies or even opportunities abroad.
[00:09:14] I’m the same to be honest. If I were more fluent in Japanese, I would try to find a part time job or part time position here as a researcher in a political think tank or as a writer for a Japanese newspaper.
[00:09:31] Changing careers is always difficult, but it is so much more challenging if you don’t have the support of your friends and family. I was lucky. My wife and parents both really supported and helped me when I went full time as a podcaster.
[00:09:49] If people had supportive families and groups of friends who believed in their abilities, I think they would feel more confident in taking on a new career.
Final Thought
Now you’ve listened to this episode and grammar lesson, let’s practice your English.
If you had the opportunity to change jobs today, what would you do?
If you won the lottery, what would you buy?
If you worked hard, what would you achieve?
Thank you everyone for listening to this pilot episode of a new series, or new podcast, aiming at introducing grammar to a wider audience.
My plan is to produce more of these episodes and develop an accompanying worksheet or study pack with different study activities to help you practice English.
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts, feedback and suggestions for this future series!
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If I had the opportunity to change my career, I would like to do something involving writing. Actually, when I was 18, I used to write for a local daily newspaper, and I was really into that job. I remember I could spend even 8 or 10 hours writing in the editorial office without getting tired. The editor-in-chief used to make me write about social issues in my city (Civitavecchia, a port next to Rome). I still keep about 30 articles from that time on various topics, such as the life of commuters, port workers’ strikes, lack of public childcare, etc. I especially remember the great satisfaction the morning after a day spent in the editorial office when I saw my article published, and then my friends and relatives called me on the phone to congratulate me on the good writing. It was 1990. The following year, an advice changed my life. A teacher told me that if I wanted to be a good journalist, I would have to consolidate my skills and competencies through strong studies. She told me: don’t sign up for the literature or political science faculties; to improve your skills, the school of law is better! So, I ended up becoming a lawyer for a government agency, and I left that possible career behind. This is the sad story of my life… I am joking… maybe. Regarding your style of explaining grammar, with a short introduction followed by real-life examples, I really appreciate it, and I am looking forward to reading and hearing more of this kind of content in the future.
Hi Tom, Thank you for this potcast, I realy enjoyed it!
It’s realy usefull.
I’m an intermediate learner and try to achieve a better level.
I definitely need to master grammar rules.
The way you did it, makes the grammar more interesting and easier to apply.
Please continue your pilot potcast!
Thank’s.
Delphine.
Thank your for your great feedback!