Career Change

The thought of a career change can seem quite daunting, yet each year, the number of employed adults who have changed careers - often may times - increases dramatically.  Across the duration of their working life, the average worker will change career three times, and that average is set to grow further.

There are many reasons why you might be considering switching careers. You could be unhappy in your present job, unable to gain further meaningful promotion, or can only do so by taking on a considerable amount of further education.

You may simply want to move to a position that will enable you to develop more; or your skills and abilities may just have developed to the point where no single field is able to retain your attention.

If you have reached that point where you have decided on a complete change of career path, your first  step should be to determine where exactly you are heading. What will be your chosen career?.

Unless you already have a specific career in mind, the easiest way to get started is to list all the jobs you have an interest in and then eliminate them one by one, until you have just a few alternatives to consider.

You might be able to eliminate some jobs by considering the level of experience required, or by the educational qualifications needed, as well as whether you would be prepared to devote sufficient time to acquiring either or both of them.
 
Some career opportunities may not even match your own long-term goals.

Also, you could consider working as a volunteer or on a temporary basis, just to evaluate work in a completely different field.

No matter what direction your anticipated career change takes, you will need to identify the skills and attributes that you possess that will help you in a new position, and which could be enhanced or complemented by further education or training.

Then you will need to prepare a fresh resume slanted towards prospective employers in your chosen career area. If hired, you should be prepared to accept less responsibility initially, than you enjoyed in your previous position, then it is down to you to make the best of your career change and work towards establishing yourself as a valued employee.

Changing careers can involve a great deal of work, and risk, but can be immensely rewarding. Whether it is right for you, only you can decide. It is an individual choice, and has to be something you want to do, for it to stand a chance of being successful. For workers who are prepared to undertake the necessary activity to make the change, it can be most worthwhile.

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