It is vital to assess your current situation and explore your options for a career. This will help you to make a more fulfilling decision.
Why people change careers
Many reasons people change careers can be given. It’s a personal decision that involves many factors. The top five reasons people switch careers according to Joblist’s Midlife Career Crisis Survey report:
- Get Better Pay: 47%
- Too Stressful: 39%
- Better Work-Life Balance: 37%
- Looking for a new challenge? 25%
- 23% are no longer passionate about their field:
A Career Change is a Good Idea
According to the Joblist survey, most people are happier after making the change.
- Happier: 77%
- More satisfied: 75%
- 69% More Satisfied
- Less stressed: 65%
People who changed careers also made more money. Respondents who switched careers to make more money earned $10,800 per year more than in their former positions.
10 Steps to a successful career change
These tips will help you to assess your interests and explore options.
- Assess your job satisfaction. Take a look at your day and identify recurring themes. What aspects of your current job are you most satisfied with? What are your dissatisfactions with the content of your job, the company culture, or the people you work with? You can still do this while you are at work, but there are things you can do at work to prepare for the day when you decide to leave.
- Evaluate your interests, values, and skills. Look back at past roles, volunteer work, and projects to determine which activities and skills you are most interested in. Identify your core values and talents to determine if your current job fulfils them. You can find free online tools that will help you evaluate career options.
- Explore other career options. Discuss your core values with family and friends. Get help from a career counsellor. For professional guidance, consult a career counsellor if you have difficulty coming up with ideas.
- Search for job opportunities. Perform a preliminary comparative analysis of various fields to identify some targets for more in-depth research. Search for the job you are interested in, and you will find tons of information online.
- Make it personal. Learn as much about these fields as possible and get in touch with people familiar with them for informational interviews. Your college alumni network is an excellent source of informational interviewers. LinkedIn is another great tool for connecting with people in your career field.
- Start a job shadow program. Shadow professionals in your primary field of interest to see their work. You can spend anywhere from a few hours up to several days shadowing people in jobs that interest you. Alumni volunteers are available to help you find job shadowers. This article will provide more information about job shadowing and its workings.
- Give it a try. Find volunteer opportunities and freelance work in your field of interest to gauge your interest. Editing the PTA newsletter is a great way to get started in publishing. Volunteer at your local shelter if you are interested in helping animals.
- Learn a class. Explore educational opportunities that could bridge your experience to your new field. You might consider taking an evening class at your local college or an online course. You can spend some time attending weekend or one-day seminars. For suggestions, contact professional associations in your field.
- Improve your skills. Find ways to learn new skills in your job that would open the door for a career change, e.g., If grant writing is something you are interested in, offer to help with a grant proposal. Sign up for as many classes in-house if your company offers it. You can make a career shift without going back to school.
- You might consider a new job within the same industry. You might consider other roles in your industry that would use the industry knowledge you already possess. Consider a career in corporate recruitment if you’re a retail manager and are tired of working nights and weekends. Technical sales or project management might be a good option if you’re not a programmer.
Create a cover letter and resume for a career change
You should prepare a cover letter and a resume reflecting your goals. These are some tips and examples of career change letters with writing advice. For more insights on the relevance of cover letters in today’s job market, you might want to check out the guide “Are cover letters still useful in 2023?“.
Are you interested in a change of career? Many people seek out a change of career for a variety of reasons. You may have changed your career goals and values. Perhaps you have new interests or are looking to change careers.
It is crucial to assess your current situation and explore your options for a career. This will help you to make a decision that will satisfy you.
