Steps To A Successful Career Change
Changing careers is becoming more popular especially in this digital age. While changing careers might not be a problem, knowing the steps to a successful career change can be tricky. Since changing careers is a big deal, you must be sure before making the next major change.
In this post, you will discover reasons why a career change might be what you need. Read further to explore the steps to making a successful career change.
A Career Change Is A Big Deal
A career change is a major decision. For many people, achieving their careers took their lifetime. A lot of sacrifices were made during the time. Some established people are so invested and exceptional in their careers that it has become their identity. Striving to establish a career comes with a lot of sacrifices. Some people had to work for free at some point to gain experience. Some had to choose their careers over relationships. People have had to travel far away from home to fulfill their careers in countries where they barely spoke their language. All these sacrifices are the reasons why a change in careers is something to carefully consider.
The Steps To A Successful Career Change
Evaluate The Current Situation
If changing your career has ever crossed your mind, and you think you should, this is the first step. There is a lot to consider before making the final jump. Evaluate your current professional situation. Is there any need to change your career? Is there something you are missing but cannot find in your current career? Have you outgrown it? do you feel like you have achieved everything in your career and you need a new challenge? Finally, are you no longer happy in your career? If most of the answers to these questions are “yes”, then move on to the next step.
Dig Deeper
After evaluating on a larger scale, it is time to dig deeper. Before you make a life-changing move of this nature, you have to be certain that you are doing it for the right reasons. Consider how your career affects your current values and beliefs. Will your career still be relevant 5 or 10 years from now? When a career path risks going extinct, link in the cases of some, a change is necessary. Can you still cope with the demands of your career at your age? Is your health still capable of bearing the heavy burdens that come with the career? Or have you lost passion for the career? Once again, if the answers are mostly affirmative, then you have to change your career immediately.
Weigh Your Options
It is only natural to see what options are available to you before swapping careers. After making up your mind about changing your career, check out different career paths that suit you. Weigh your options using various factors. Consider your personal preferences while you look at your options. Also, look for what you would be comfortable doing. Put your age into the mix as well, and your current health situation. Lastly, seek the opinion of those you trust, love, and respect. Whatever fits the criteria you set should be what you choose.
Develop Passion For It
Passion for what you do is what creates room for happiness. In fact, a lack of passion is one of the major reasons why people lose interest in their jobs and careers. Considering the risk you are taking in changing careers, you want to make sure you succeed at it. Having a passion for your newfound career path is what keeps you striving especially when it gets tough. Develop a passion for your new career, it will drive you to success.
Have Influences
A career change is a new experience. you need all the support you can get. One of the things that would help you look on the bright side while you change your career is having positive influences on the same career path. These influences have stories to tell, including how they started, the challenges they encountered, and how they succeeded. Their life and success will help fuel a strong liking for the career you choose. It would turn out to be one of the biggest motivations moving forward. Once you have the right motivation, making the career change would be enjoyable.
Get Serious- Learn More
To become successful at what you do, you need to learn more about it. if you had to get countless information and education while you were in your former career, you will need more now. Firstly, you are entering new territory. You need to be as good as those who have been there all their lives- if not better. When it comes to experience and all-around qualifications, there are many ahead of you. therefore, you have to get all the education available.
Depending on the career you are starting, the level of education you need varies. Do thorough research into the requirements and pursue them. If you must go back to school for a diploma, you should. Also, look for opportunities to gather experience. Acquire soft skills related to the career as well. They will help you stand out from the rest whether you want to work for an organization or start a business.
Develop A Fresh Mindset
Starting a new career is not always straightforward. Sometimes you need to make dramatic changes. Let the change start with you. Reinvent yourself. Rid yourself of some of the previous attachments you had with your former career. Develop new skills that are in line with your new career. Work on your mental and physical strength. Although you are an underdog for starting a career many have been in their whole lives, have a positive attitude. Explore. Give yourself a chance and enjoy every moment of doing it.
Have Realistic Expectations
There are various reasons for changing careers. One of those reasons is better opportunities. Another is increased payment. Especially in this digital age, there are new career paths with extreme potential. The appeal might be one of the reasons why people are eager to join the career path.
There are some truths about every career that you will never know unless you are in the system. Some of these truths are hard to accept. For example, before you set a timeframe for achieving certain career milestones, be realistic. It is encouraged to dream. Yet, being realistic can be a life-saver in a relatively new territory.
What it took 5 years for one to achieve might take 15 years for another in the same career to achieve. A myriad of factors is responsible for this. Thus, have realistic expectations when considering changing your career. No matter how appealing the prospect is, know what is achievable to avoid getting disappointed.
Evaluate Your Progress
The only way to know if the career change is paying off is by evaluating your progress. Evaluate your progress in relationship with your career expectations and goals. Keep track of how well you are doing and set higher targets. Take note of the wins, no matter how small. And if things are not going as planned, the evaluation will help you see ways you can improve. Part of your progress is the impact you are making in the organization or business you are in. Also, how you impact lives around you as well as the satisfaction you derive are what to evaluate. By evaluating your progress, you get a feeling of vindication and pride for making such a change.
Why Change Careers?
People sometimes get judged for wanting to change careers. However, there comes a point when for some reason, a career swap is inevitable. Considering what sacrifices they must have made, including the years of hard work they had put in, the reasons for a change in careers are mostly understandable.
- Change In The Times: We live in a world where career choices have influences. The current age greatly influences what would appeal to people. For instance, during war times, more people were drafted into the military, including civilians. As the military increased in number, so did the demand for caregivers and medical professionals. Those times influenced many young women at the time to pursue a career in medicine, especially nursing. The number of nurses (including inexperienced and unlearned) rose to an all-time high at that time. Also, gone are the days where people were town criers, alchemists, and people swept chimneys for a living. The change in times spurs a change in the demand for the service. This is a big factor that causes people to switch careers.
- Better Opportunities: It is only natural for ambitious people to look for better opportunities. Not all careers are valued the same way. Some careers provide better opportunities than others. Yet, people stay true to what they do for love. However, there comes a time when your current career does not meet your expectations. If your career path does not present many opportunities to match your personal goals in life, a change might be necessary. Some careers give more room for speedy advancement than others. Some careers come with prestige, power, and celebrity status. These open opportunities for those in it. Swapping careers for better opportunities is never wrong.
- Flexibility: For instance, some envisioned a life where they had the time, flexibility, and financial capacity to travel the world a few times a year. Not all careers give room for that.
- Priority Or Phase Change: Change is constant. Humans are always evolving and it is evident in what happens all around us daily. As humans, we go through different stages or phases in life. These stages are influenced by various factors. One of these factors is age. Some things appeal to us more than others due to our age at the time. Also, people’s mental and physical state plays a major role in the phases they go through. These stages in life affect what people consider a priority. For instance, people choose careers to stay close to their family, especially mothers. A change in careers will be well-received if such persons no longer have children who depend on them. Likewise, a physical challenge could make people choose backup careers. At this stage, only they know what they truly want. If they finally get a breakthrough that takes them out of the physical challenge, it gives them the courage to go after what they truly want. A career change begins.
- A New Sense Of Purpose: Many times, people make a career change that shocks everyone around them. This happens especially when the person is exceptional at what he or she does. In some cases, the change could be devastating for their loved ones and supporters. For instance, a popular movie star with millions of fans all over the world decides to quit. Perhaps to join the military or the clergy. This would break many hearts. Albeit such a career change for the protagonist might come as a result of new sense of purpose. Many people who have changed careers pointed out a change in the way they viewed the world and life at large. People look for purpose especially when they have “seen it all and done it all” in their respective careers. That is when they start to look for “what’s next”. Although most people who change careers for this reason receive backlash and lose support, they have every right to make the change.
Final thoughts
Changing careers is a big deal. It is one of the biggest decisions to take. However, a lot can change including the choice of careers. A variety of factors are responsible for wanting to change careers. These factors are key to enjoying life in a new career. They are pointers and reminders of why you have decided to make a significant change. While changing careers is understandable, there are a series of steps to follow for a successful career change to occur. Hopefully, these steps help you make the best decisions in your career and life. If you have ever changed your career at one point, please tell us your experience in the comments section.