How to change careers

Do you dread going to work on Mondays? Are you no longer enjoying what you do? Do you feel like you need a change?

It is important to know that there is no age limit on change and these feelings can occur for anyone – no matter their age. But before you storm into the office and quit your job, here are a few points to consider before making a decision.

Self awareness is critical

Before you make a career change it is important to understand why you are feeling the way you are about your current role and understanding what it is that you want from your work. Things to consider when looking at what you would like to do are: what is that you enjoy doing; how much flexibility do you want or need from your work; how do you like to work and what environment do you want to work in. Answering these questions, will assist you to decide on what sort of role will best suit you and your circumstances.

Once you figure this out, it is important that you research to identify the sort of skills and attributes employers look for when hiring employees in the type of role you are looking for. This will assist you to decide if you this sort of job will suit you and your needs as well as assist you to identify if you need any additional training to successfully change careers.

Conduct a skills assessment

Some skills are transferable and so it is important to remember that even if you identify that further study may be required to make the change – you are not starting from scratch! Look at your current skills and consider how these might apply in your chosen new career. Don’t forget to also consider how your life experiences can apply to your work during your skills assessment.

Enrol in further study

Further study may be required to obtain the skills required to make a career change. Look at the types of courses available which will assist your career change. These days training is often flexible and with so many options available to students it is easy to find courses which will suit your circumstances and give you the skills that you need. For example, due to your family commitments you may only be able to attend training during school hours or you may continue to work and study online in your spare time.

Work Experience

When you are applying for jobs in your new chosen career, having some job experience in this new career area can be extremely valuable and may give you an edge over the other applicants. This can be achieved through work experience or volunteering. This can have the added advantage of allowing you to try out your new career and make sure it is what you are wanting to do.

Remember in the words of Steve Jobs “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”