Are you thinking about making a career change? This is a really common thing, but people are still incredibly hesitant to make them move. Starting from scratch can be intimidating, but it can come with a bunch of benefits, especially since you’ll feel more fulfilled and like you’re doing something you actually enjoy. Don’t let fear keep you from making a change to your career. Here are 6 steps to help you along.
Step 1: Refine Your Skills
Sometimes changing your career doesn’t mean going into something completely separate from what you’ve done in the past. You could go from human resources into social outreach without too much difficulty. But in general, people looking to make a career change are looking at taking a drive at something in a completely different field. For example, you might be a chiropractor, but have an interest in programming and would like to pursue it as a career. According to plentytraining.edu.au, refining your skills could put you at a significant advantage. Not only does it mean that you have formal training in something, but it allows you to take the time to decide if this really is the field for you and is more than just a hobby. There are plenty of free online courses these days, which means that education is more accessible online than ever before.
It will however cost you time and it is important that you put in the necessary effort if you want to succeed.
Step 2: Find a Mentor
You ideally want to find yourself a good mentor in the very beginning. Typically, a good mentor is someone who is successful and experienced in the area of expertise that you want to go into. They are someone you respect and someone who is respected by others. Having a good mentor can save you a lot of trouble as they will be able to fill in quite a few gaps and could advise you on what to expect with certain steps before you even reach them. This helps you plan better and could make the transition less intensive. You can find a mentor through your network, or an educational institution.
Step 3: Make Sure You’re Ready for It
People want change when they are feeling unfulfilled in the workplace, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should change careers. Changing your career can have an effect on multiple aspects of your life, it is important that you make sure it’s what you really want before you take the leap. Test out the waters by changing where you work. Maybe it’s just your employer or the company ethos that you don’t like. Change industries but maintain the same job description. A change of environment could make all the difference. Take some time off. Maybe you’re simply feeling burnt out? Hitting the reset button could be all that you needed.
Step 4: Try it Out
Why not try to get some experience in your new career by undertaking a few personal projects through freelancing, or even volunteering. The benefits of this are twofold. Learning how to do something new is one thing, but being a professional in another field means that you don’t want to have to start at the bottom, because you don’t have any experience. Volunteering or freelancing gives you that experience and means you can try it out without starting completely from the bottom in a new company.
You might even be able to use your experience in another field as leverage to show you are a competent and hardworking employee.
Step 5: Consider Starting a Business
Making a change to your career doesn’t necessarily mean changing what you do or learning something new. Starting your own business is a great way to change things up. Plenty of people take their careers into their own hands and start their own businesses. Freelancing is a great way to start out. This way you don’t have to work your way up the ranks again.
Step 6: Think Big and Start Small
Making the leap from one career to another is a big adjustment. It has an effect on you and can seriously affect your personal life. It is always a good idea to approach something new with caution and having lots of information. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, but you should take a few baby steps before you leave your job entirely. This can make transitioning from one to the next a lot easier and less stressful. You could even try it out as a side hustle, to begin with.
If you feel unhappy or feel unfulfilled by your job it might be time to switch things up. Plenty of people make this change every year and are better for it.
