Considering a change of career and need some advice?
It is very likely that you will consider a change of career or at least be looking for different ideas at some point in your working life. The desire to change career usually happens around the ages of 30, 35, 40 and 50. Whereas fifty years ago, people tended to follow the same career for the whole of their working life, now it is quite common for people to go through at least three career changes. Becoming aware of your work misery may have happened gradually over a long period of time or you may have had a sudden realisation that you want to be on a different career path. Feeling de-motivated, unfulfilled or frustrated by your work can affect the whole of your life, so take time to gather your strength so that you can make the necessary career changes.
Mid-life Career Change
Mid-life career changes are very common due to new technology replacing the need for certain jobs or a reduction in jobs due to the pressure of businesses to remain profitable and competitive. At the age of 30 and 35, people often look to change career if they feel that they are on the wrong career track and have a yearning to take action before it is too late to do so. In addition, around the ages of 40, 45 and 50 many people look to transform their working life as the pressure on their personal finances is removed. Their mortgage and personal loans may have been redeemed and their children may have fled the nest, so they are now in a position to pursue a new and more fulfilling career. After the age of 40, 45 and 50 their focus in life is more about enjoying what they do each day and they may look to re-align their job with their personal interests and hobbies.
I need a complete career change. What can I do, what shall I do, where do I start?
Career Change Ideas
Switching careers is a bold step but if you adopt the right approach and have a positive attitude it can be a fun, easy and a rewarding transition. Having the motivation to change career is an essential element for a successful career change. If you are contemplating changing your profession or occupation, it is a necessity to research all the possible career options. If you are stuck for career ideas, it is worth filling in a career choice profile which will highlight the types of careers and tasks that you are well suited to perform. Another good way to find out information is to look for the best books on changing career or profession. In the first instance, every career adjustment involves a review of your skill-set, talents and capabilities so that you can put the necessary steps into action.
Career Transformation
Transforming your current career situation takes time, effort and persistence. It is not something that you can achieve in an instant. The transformation process involves believing in yourself and taking the necessary steps in order to achieve your career dream or goal. Some career changers like a professional career coach to assess their skills and tell them what options are possible. It is then the role of the career coach to drive the career change forward. Other people find it useful to find inspiration from reading or hearing about other people’s career transformation stories. Stories which help to reinforce their own self-confidence and self-belief as if it is achievable for someone else, it is also possible for them to obtain such a positive outcome too.
Career Assessment
The purpose of any career assessment is to give the individual a clear idea of their skills, personality and career options. It is a very positive and informative process as it can help to unravel some of the individual’s current confusion or frustration. A detailed assessment allows the person to stand back from their situation and to assess it in a detached and non-emotional way. The assessment is likely to break the person out of their current limited thinking and show them what could be possible in terms of their career. The types of career tools that may be used are a career personality test, career choice profile or an aptitude test. Getting in touch with your particular career needs, aspirations and goals is usually the first step in the career change process. The answers and findings from this type of detailed career review will allow you to start to define your new career purpose, direction and build a career development plan in terms of going forward.
Career Transition
Most career movers tend to have a gap between where they are in their current career and where they want to be in their career. It is important that the career mover looks for professional career advice to help make the career switch as smooth and as successful as possible.
Researching the possible career options and talking to people who are already in the career or job that you are seeking, is an important exercise too. If you are offered the opportunity to shadow someone in their role, it is an excellent way to gain an insight into your desired occupation. However, changing your profession may involve retraining or going back to college to learn a new hard skill. These days it is often possible to train on-line, in blocks or in the evenings. It is often possible to train whilst still performing your existing role or job. It is worth looking at all the options so that you can train at a time and cost to suit you.
In addition, there are many on-line career transition programmes which help you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Offering career podcasts, money exercises and CV writing services together with LinkedIn makeovers, these programme are often designed to help you to switch jobs within a month. Some programmes also allow you to supplement your training or learning with individual on-line career consultancy or coaching so that your particular career needs and issues can be addressed quickly. Getting a job fast is the overall intention of these types of job hunting programmes. Take time to seek out the best career programme that fits your needs and budget.
Tips for Making a Successful Career Change
Whether you are looking to make a slight or a dramatic change in profession, you need to be willing to look at yourself, your skills and put in the effort required. Getting what you want career wise is all about defining what you want and putting in place the necessary career change strategies. It is important to remember that if you aren’t getting the desired results from your career change efforts to-date, you may be lacking in the desired knowledge. There is invariably nothing wrong with you but you may be adopting the wrong approach or career change techniques. Knowledge is the KEY to career success and career fulfillment. It is, of course, far easier to reach a career goal if you have received the right career advice or career change strategies. Investing in new ground-breaking career techniques will help you to propel your career forward faster and allow you to reach your full potential quicker.
LinkedIn profile tips to help you with your change of career
More Career Change Advice
Is your Career Change Idea Sensible or Could It Lead to a Disaster?
For more than 20 years, Career Consultants having been helping people like you, to make sensible and successful career changes. We have helped people who know they want to make a career change but can’t decide what to do. We have also helped people who have loads of ideas and can’t decide which is the most sensible option. More importantly, we help people to make their career transition, whatever the circumstances, to be a success. If you are considering a career change, why not share it with us and we will discuss with you a workable strategy to make it a reality for you.
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