The concept of changing career is often an attractive option to anyone who feels like they need a fresh challenge, or are no longer enjoying what they do. In fact, thousands of people will frequently change their career path throughout their life until they find a job or industry that they feel is the one for them. It may be that you have accumulated enough experience in your past positions to be able to jump to that new career you had in mind, whilst technological innovations have created new job roles and suddenly you may fancy a job that never existed a few years ago! Add to the mix a comprehensive choice of quality online courses, and all of a sudden it seems a new career could be within your grasp! Changing careers can be a natural evolution and sometimes it can be all plain sailing, however, sometimes it is not always the easiest option. With this in mind, we have prepared a blog on the five things you need to consider if you are thinking about changing your career.
Figuring Out What You Want To Do Takes Time
Chances are, you are changing your career because you want something different. If you have had a couple of roles before that you didn’t like, you are probably already sure about what it is you don’t want to do. However, it can be difficult to decide what it is you do want! Now, this is the crux, as Marc Anthony said "if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life". This quote is really worth thinking about, you spend most of your week working, so doing something you have a passion for is a massive plus point for your life, as well as your mental well being. Now, we balance this with the fact that no job is perfect and there will always be stresses involved with any work, but if you have a passion for something it can fuel your motivation. Why not put some time aside, sit down and do some focused research into what direction you would like to take in your career? Once you have more of an idea you can focus on finding a career that embodies all these concepts. We have a great section on the process of finding a career that you will be passionate about in our How To Find a Job article. This is a comprehensive guide into everything from the beginning to the end of your career-changing journey!
Timing And Location Are Important
At every single moment, there are different opportunities available; for some industries, certain roles only come up during certain times of the year. As well as this, some locations need certain jobs whereas other locations will not. In this situation, you will need to think about whether you’d be willing to uplift your life into a different area purely for a new career. To find out where and when opportunities may arise, attend networking events and get to know people within the industry you think you want to work in! These people will be able to help you gain an understanding of geographical and seasonal trends for a particular role. They can also help by giving you some sound advice on the career you are thinking of moving into. Remember, always research every aspect of a new career no matter how small before jumping in!
A Degree is a Degree - You Can Swap And Change Careers
Some people may feel like because they have a degree within a certain subject; they need to work within that career for their whole life. Actually, it doesn’t work this way at all. You can change your career whenever you like – and don’t feel like you need a whole new degree in a different industry! Many grad jobs will just be happy you have a degree and wont actually be too bothered about the subject itself. Getting a Degree in any subject shows your employee that you have a good work ethic, you can stick to a task, deal with deadlines and have the intellect to implement research within a subject matter. That alone is a positive to an employee no matter what the subject. Going back to university is an expensive option, which is pretty much pointless unless your new career demands it. Online courses, training and working hands-on within the industry whether voluntary or paid will help!
On the other side of this, not all jobs need a degree in the first place. Find out what you want to do and research the different paths you can take in order to do this job. You might surprise yourself.
The Right Skills
As we mentioned above, once you have decided on the career you want – you’re actually going to need to find some experience! Nobody is going to hire you if you don’t have the skillset for the job, you need to demonstrate your commitment to your new career path. There are several different ways to do this. Look at job posts for internships or other low entry roles. Maybe look at part-time voluntary work alongside your existing job to get some hands-on experience. There are also some amazing online courses and free tools you can use to expand your skillset and learn different facets of your new career. Linkedin learning shows all the certificates you have earned by finishing their courses on your LinkedIn profile. This is a nice signal to demonstrate your continued commitment and progression towards your career change. Figure out what you need to know and make sure you drill down and gain the experience you need!
Action Plan & Rebrand
Now you have some idea of what you want to do and what you will need to achieve, it's time to create an action plan and stick to it! By defining focused goals and timelines you will feel like you are moving forward with your new career path. Don't just waft along thinking it will eventually happen for you, write down what you want to achieve and work hard to action it! Get those certifications, crush the skill development and attend networking events within your new chosen field! Book them all in and stick rigidly to your timeline and goals. As Kevin Durant once said, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” While we are talking about networking, rebrand yourself! Yes, before networking or contacting potential employees, go through all your social accounts, look at your Linkedin profile and start working on your CV and cover letter. When you are networking you never know when an opportunity may arise. Be ready for one and make it look like you are the perfect match by manicuring your online presence to look the part! Your existing experience and profiles may not align with your desired new career, so put some thought and planning into this aspect and you will be battle-ready.
Conclusion
Nobody can change their career overnight! If you are committed to changing your career, make sure you think about it thoroughly. Once you’ve decided on where you want to go, take the necessary steps to get there. Changing careers is a process that can take a serious amount of time so try not to feel demotivated and annoyed if everything doesn’t fall into place straight away. Take the correct steps, celebrate every success and work towards your happiness every single day! Below we have some links that will help you in every aspect of finding a new career path and gaining that new position. Use them and you will be in the best position to hit your new career target!
Additional information
Two great articles to start off with are our comprehensive guide How to Find a Job and our Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Dream Job! Now, these go into a lot more than just the finding your perfect career but go through them and pick the relevant sections that you feel will help you. Then we have some great shorter blogs on interview techniques below. Have a look at all these and you will be set! Remeber, 'Luck favours the prepared! We wish you all the luck and success in the future!
The Top 10 Interview Questions You Should ALWAYS Prepare For!
Research You Should Consider Before An Interview
Ultimate Guide to Preparing your CV
How To Completely Nail Your Zoom, Skype or any other Video Conferencing Interview!
What questions should you never ask in an interview?
How to Answer the Question: What are your Strengths?
How to Answer the Question: What motivates you at work?
Finding a New Job? - It's Time To Clean Up Your Social Media Presence
Nerves and how to deal with them for an interview
Can Changing Roles Within Your Company Be Better Than Looking For a New Job?
The Definitive Guide to Starting a New Job
Also, remember if you are attending interviews you may get rejected, do not take this personally! A lot of things in life are a numbers game, meaning the more you get rejected the closer you will come to getting the job. It is simple maths, the more you do the better the chance of success. It is a healthy part of the process so read the article below and don't let rejection slow you down!
10 Top Tips for Coping With Those Soul-Destroying Job Rejections!