A career doesn’t have to be for life. Many people, for all sorts of reasons, decide that it’s time to do something different with their working lives.
And it doesn’t have to happen in your 20s. Many people make the big switch in their 40s or 50s. But more about that another time.
Whatever age you are, here are five steps to help set you on the path to a happy new career.
Identify what Motivates You
Before deciding what you’re going to do for a living, you need to work out what you want out of a new career. For some, it’s all about the money, while others want job security.
Others are following a dream or turning a hobby into a profession. Then there are those who want a sense of fulfilment and get a kick out of helping others.
Recognise Your Talents
Everyone has skills and abilities and knowing what you are good at should play an important part when deciding on your next role. Some talents are immediately obvious while others require a bit of thought.
Examples may include soft skills like assertiveness, negotiating or presentation skills. Hard skills, meanwhile, could be speaking a foreign language, bookkeeping or being able to use a specific IT packages.
Try Different Things
It’s ok to have a list of possible career choices – options are always a good thing. But to help you to make an informed decision, it’s not a bad idea to dip your toe in the water.
Volunteering, studying, reading online profiles and making contact with people or organisations relevant to the career you are interested in are all great ways of helping you decide what you want to do.
Decide if Your Career is Achievable
Having dreams is great but it’s important to keep a sense of realism when choosing the next step in your working life. For example, if you’re in your mid 40s the chances of a career in professional football are looking unlikely.
Take a step back and be honest with yourself. If you have any chance of making it in the career you have in mind then go for it. If not, then it’s time to reconsider.
Work Out How to Get There
For some professions, a degree is a must. The only decision to be made is whether full-time study is required or if there are part-time alternatives.
Other career paths are not so straightforward. Sometimes, getting your foot in the door at a suitable organisation is every bit as useful as a qualification. As mentioned above, volunteering can also be a great way of starting out in a particular industry.
Consider Other Factors
Many of these factors will be financial. Will changing careers involving starting in a bottom of the ladder position with a lower salary? Or how will your fund your studies and support yourself and any other dependants.
There are a host of potential sacrifices. If you’re studying and working at the same time, when do you plan to spend time with you other half and your kids? And are you prepared to scale back on you social life and leisure activities?
The Career Hunter 