Maybe you went into a career that was never truly your interest and now you are bold enough to follow your passions. Perhaps you went into a career that was the best for you at that time and for so long but now your priorities and goals in life have changed and the career you are in now no longer suits you. Maybe you feel your skills and talents would be better employed elsewhere.
Regardless of your reasons for wanting a career change, it’s a big decision that you must think through before making the shift. Things can quickly go south if you try to rush yourself through a career change.
Here are tips on how to successfully change your career.
Have clear reasons for your move
Do you want to change careers because you hate your job or your boss? If your answer is yes, then chances are you are confusing a job for a career. A job change is different from a career change, the former simply involves moving from one employer to another while the latter is completely changing what you do and acquiring new skills.
So before you take the drastic step of shifting your career, make sure you are not confusing the two. Be clear on your reason for wanting a career change. Is to do something you love? Is higher earning potential your motivation?
Do your research on careers of choice
Now that you are certain on what you want, you should have a shortlist of the careers you would like to join. Your shortlist list should be careers that play to your natural talents, passions, strengths and current skills.
While at it, do your research on what is required of each career; the academic qualifications, skillset, working hours and earning potential. However, location can also be a factor for your earning potential. In places like Boston, those who are involved in the tech industry can receive a higher pay compared to other locations. The salary rate of a software engineer there can reach up to a hundred thousand dollars per year.
Talk to people who are already in the ideal careers and read widely including the current affairs on the careers in places like Apexbeats.Com, blogs and journals.
Have a plan
You must have a plan of how you are going to transition from one career to another. Are you planning to quit your job and look for a new job in the new career or will you job search while still holding your current role? These are some of the important questions you need to ask yourself.
You need to also prepare financially since there’s a possibility you will have to take a salary cut in order to successfully shift to another career.
Assess your current skills against what you need in the career and find ways to bridge that gap as soon as possible. This is to help you get up to speed with whatever it takes to join another career. You want to be able to do your new job with minimal struggle.
This may require you to go back to school or join an entry level position in your new career.
