Simple Tips On How To Start a New Career?

You have made the decision to embark on a new career. Congratulations!

Congratulations, because in our world there are too many people unhappy with the career they initially opted for. Yet they do not have the courage to admit they should have opted for a career they might have found more rewarding.

It takes courage to admit that your current career is no longer for you and that it is time to move on.
Moving on however presents its own problems There is:

• The fear that you may be making a mistake
• There is the terror of facing into job insecurity
• There is the fear of not knowing how to actually go about effecting major changes in your life

But with some thought and planning those fears can be overcome.

Before Changing Career

You know you want to change careers. If you were happy in your current career that thought would never have occurred to you. So you need to trust your instincts on this one. However, there is one caveat. We all need to eat and work is our way of making sure we can do that.

Have a look at your financial situation and before you leave your current job make sure you have a financial bolster to tide you over the time where you may be training for a new career.

This may involve checking your savings if you have some or if changing career will involve returning to education, checking if there are grants or bursaries that may help with this.

The student loan route is another area to explore. Changing career after all means that you are making an investment in yourself and in your future.

Are You Sure About the Career You Want?

Put some thought into this one and take notes on what your thoughts are telling you. You will probably have conflicting and confusing thoughts on what you want to do. Put your thoughts on paper. Then you will be able to stand back and review them objectively.

Working on lists may be your best approach to this

Draw up lists of the types of jobs you feel you would like. And don’t forget to list careers that may seem unattainable right now. What is important is recognizing you are interested in them.

For each career you list tick if it is an improvement on your current situation in terms of job satisfaction, in terms of salary and in terms of work/life balance.

Then check again to decide which of these careers are the best fits for your personality.If a career does not suit your personality you run the risk of making the situation worse rather than better.

Having a look at your personality and likes and dislikes should enable you to whittle down your list to the most desirable career for you.

Tips to Change Career

When you have found the career that ticks all the right boxes you will have to start working on lists again to discover how you are going to go about moving from your current situation to your new ideal career.

Do Your Research

There are more ways than one to get involved in a career. You have possibly come through a system that is currently undergoing a lot of change.

The system that said you had to attend a college, get a qualification and then apply for jobs is the route most people traveled in the past.

A changing approach to work encourages us to look at all the avenues open to you if you want a career in a particular field of employment. The situation of a student who wanted to study medicine and become a doctor comes to mind.

That particular student failed to get a place in medical school and even though terribly disappointed he decided to opt for a university place doing science and studying Biology and Chemistry.

His end career? He excelled at research during his time in university and got a job with the World Health Organization researching a cure for cancer. Now he is delivering the ultimate health care to cancer sufferers, finding a cure for their disease.

Try Taking a Broader View

Could you apply that young man’s experiences to your current situation?

Look at the training you have undergone for your current career. Is there anything there that could be applicable to a different career?

Look at the following example:

If you have a clerical role with a company you quite possibly may be handling the payroll or preparing materials for the accountant.

Could you consider retraining and becoming an accountant yourself? You do after all have hands on experience of dealing with company finances.

Perhaps in your role with the company you are unhappy with all the things that come with a regular Monday to Friday job. Maybe office politics upset you and let’s face it most jobs involve dealing with the dynamics of people working together.

In a new career as an accountant you wouldn’t necessarily have to work in the office.

You could jump on the current trend of remote working. That would necessitate setting up a home office and working remotely for a company or finding your own clients.

Then you would have the ultimate career change. You are doing a new type of work and you are free of the aspects of regular work that may be causing you to want a career change.

Then apply the above example to what may be your current career and see how you could move it forward to a more satisfying job for you.

Let Experience Be Your Guide

Pinpoint the career you have in mind and do your research.

Will you have to return to fulltime education? Can you apply some of your life experiences to date and top them up with a shorter re-training program?

On a side note a lot of colleges and employers now place a lot of store on life experiences.

Look at your lived experiences, both those in your education and in your work experiences. And don’t forget experience you may have gained while engaging in a hobby.

All Experience Is Relevant

Perhaps you have cared for an elderly relative at home during your off-time. Could you translate that into a career in nursing?

Or you may have excelled in writing school or college essays. Have you considered developing your writing talents and becoming a freelance writer for businesses?

After a day in the office do you spend your spare time under the bonnet of a car, tinkering around with the workings of an engine? If you do, you could consider retraining as a mechanic, or as a car salesman, opening a garage, getting involved in the world of vintage vehicles. The possibilities are endless.

If you are still unsure about what path you are equipped to follow do a pre-employment test. That will show you where you’re at and give you an idea of what you need to do next.

Rise to the Challenge

Whatever you decide to do it will come with its challenges.

There will be the challenge of discovering what it is you want to do and finding the funds to do it. Then you will have the challenge of biting the bullet and pursuing your new career.

But it will be worth it. You will have the career that makes you want to get up on cold winter mornings and that allows you to live everyday to your full potential.

Do your research and go for it.

Written by Elizabeth O Mahony

With 25+ years’ experience as a teacher and state examinations corrector, Elizabeth now writes for the education and careers industry. Her experience preparing students for examinations and running an academy for supplementary education give her invaluable insights into what it takes for job seekers and graduates to succeed in assessments.