When you first start out in your career, it tends to be an exciting time filled with hope for future success, and typically a passion for the job you are doing. While some people can continue down that same path the rest of their working years and still feel that same passion and excitement, for others, it starts to fade and suddenly their career seems like a chore rather than something they feel good about. At this point, it’s quite common to start thinking about switching careers, changing directions, and altering your future.
Before you dive right in and pick the first career that jumps at you, here are some tips to keep in mind that will help you switch careers to something better suited to you.
What Do You Feel Passionate and Excited About?
A great place to start is by asking yourself what you feel passionate and excited about. What topics and industries interest you? You can even take it one step further and look at your own hobbies and interests and think about how that can translate to a career.
What Experience and Education Do You Have?
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with going back to school and re-training for a new career, you may not necessarily want to go down that route. If you want to make use of the experience and education you already have, then look at jobs that demand those kinds of skills.
What Kind of Salary Do You Expect?
It would be great to think that finding a new job is all about what makes you happy and excited, but there is also reality to contend with. Most likely you need to be able to make a certain salary in order to maintain your current lifestyle, and chances are high that you want to make more in the future. With that said, it can be useful to check out the website Highersalary.com in order to get a better look at what kind of salary various careers offer. At the very least, it can help you narrow down your options.
Are You Willing to Move to a Different City?
Depending on the jobs you are looking at, it may be necessary to move to a different city or town. This is something you will want to think about in advance and decide if this is something you are open to. Moving may open more doors for you, but it’s not always necessary to go to such extreme lengths.
Are You Willing to Upskill Yourself?
Consider that you’re working as a paralegal or a nurse right now. Where do you have to go in terms of career mobility? There aren’t a lot of options if you’re not willing to acquire new skills. These new qualifications could get you a job as a legal consultant or a physiotherapist. And it is not as hard or time-consuming as it sounds. There are platforms such as Physio Network where people in the healthcare field can learn how to become physiotherapists. Similarly, online universities offer degrees in law, business, industry, and more for anyone willing to put in the time or effort.
Does This New Career Fit with Your Lifestyle?
Another important question to ask yourself is how this potential new career may fit with your lifestyle. Take a look at the hours that will be expected of you, what sort of responsibilities, chances for future growth and advancement, and if it will allow you to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Not a Decision to Be Taken Lightly
When it comes down to it, changing careers is a huge move in your life. It will not only affect what you do as your job, it can also affect such things as where you live, how much you make, your hours of work, and so much more. This is exactly why it’s so important to think through all your options carefully and not rush into a decision.
