3 Tips for Changing Careers

Changing careers is a pretty daunting prospect by all accounts. Even with that being the case, however, it’s sometimes the best option, particularly if you find yourself inexplicably caught in a position in life that is far from what you would consider fulfilling, meaningful, or ideal.

A career change means stepping out into the unknown, taking a real gamble, and submitting yourself to the uncertainty of life, with no promise of reward.

But, life is an adventure, and none of us are on this earth forever. Though a career change can be daunting, you should ask yourself whether it’s really any more daunting than the prospect of spending the rest of your life doing something that you can’t stand.

So, here are a few tips on changing careers that might be helpful.

Consider how you can use your past experience to head in a new direction

If you have past experience of working in real estate, but want to position yourself in a career where you have more of a leadership position, you could nonetheless leverage your real estate experience by applying for a real estate licence, and starting up your own company.

Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to try and utilise your past experience somehow, whenever you are aiming to head in a new direction in your career.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should only ever explore the same few narrow channels in your professional life. Far from it. But there’s no reason to let “resources” you already possess go to waste.

Consider whether you are ready to jump straight into a new career, or whether you need to plan and act on a longer timeline

We all get really fed up with our day jobs from time to time, and fantasise about resigning in the most brutal and unexpected way possible, and storming out in the middle of the day.

In reality, though, a career change is often the kind of thing that needs a bit of time, planning, and finesse. Instead of quitting with no plan, and then being in dire financial straits immediately afterwards, make an exit plan, and begin retraining and laying foundations before quitting.

In other instances, you may already have options available, and plenty of savings stored away, so that you can “jump ship” immediately.

Consider your position before committing to a career change, and figure out whether you need to take a longer term, or a shorter term approach.

Try to make the career change genuinely meaningful

If you’re going to change careers anyway, you should try and make the career that you’re switching to a meaningful one that actually intrigues you on some level.

If you’ve always dreamt of being an artist, you may as well start developing your art skills and identifying how you could explore that avenue.

Likewise, if you really want your job to be something that helps other people, maybe you should look into becoming a personal trainer or a medical practitioner of some sort.

In any event, make it count.