Changing Careers

Does this sound familiar? You finished high school or college and found a job. Over time, you progressed in that job and added more training in the field. Before you knew it, you were getting a cake and a 10 year employee recognition pin.

Planning for a Career Change in Your Life

Then you returned to your desk with the sinking feeling that what you’re doing now is the same thing you’ll be doing if you work here another ten years. You have reached the level that your education and experience can take you and that’s all that there is.

You don’t have to hate your job and plague your co-workers with endless stories about how you want a career change. What’s important in making a career change is to avoid any mistakes that you made the first time.

Perhaps you were so focused on getting a job at a certain pay rate that you weren’t picky about the advancement opportunities. This time, you need to decide whether your career change will take you directly to the job you want or whether it’s getting on a path where further advancement is possible.

If you want to make a complete change of fields, then you have to spend even more time planning the transition. Carefully research what type of education, training or experience is necessary to qualify in the new field.

Speak with at least three people who are in the field at the level you desire to be and ask them for suggestions on entering the field. Remember, you aren’t asking for a job, you asking for something more valuable; their personal expertise and advice to help you get where they are.

Hopefully at least one of the people you talk with will become your Mentor. You aren’t asking them to open doors for you. You are asking your mentor to teach you how to open the doors for yourself in the new career.

Of course, when a mentor is invested in your success, you can expect that he or she will be able to bring you into the centers of influence, which is the best place for you to find your new job in the field of choice.

Perhaps you have a broad idea such as the desire to get away from your computer handling orders all day and get into a job where you help people face-to-face. This could translate into a Physician’s Assistant, Direct Sales Associate, Interior Decorator or Administrator of a charitable organization.

With such a wide range of possibilities, you can help to narrow the focus by taking Career Assessment Tests. These are simply tools that are scientifically validated to match your interests with possible list of careers.

Check with a local college or career center to schedule Career Assessment Testing. Some state colleges and community colleges offer this as a free service. Private career training centers may charge for the testing and report. Even if you pay a fee, it’s a small expense to guide you into the right career option.

Changing careers may mean starting at a lower salary level than you presently earn. Do you have adequate financial resources to support yourself and your family at a lesser pay during training or internship?

Re-work your monthly budget and start now, while at higher earning level, to cut back as much as possible. Place the money saved into an emergency fund account. If you become accustomed to living at a lower pay scale then when you make the job transition, it won’t be as painful.

Starting a new job, particularly one where most aspects are new, is filled with expected stressors. Change is by nature difficult even when the change brings about something that you desire. So by managing change in other areas of your life, you will be free to focus your energies on entering the new career.

Career change can lead to moving to a larger city or even out of state. If your career goal is upper management of a regional healthcare facility and you live in a town where the 50-bed hospital is the biggest care center in the county, then you need to move to a city where you could fulfill that ambition.

Are you prepared to move? Does your family support your decision? How will you feel leaving relatives and aging parents? The idea of moving to an urban area for advancement sounds great but you have to consider the total impact of such a significant life change.

If your proposed career requires that you complete a college degree or earn an advanced degree (such as medical school, law school or graduate school), then you need to shop for the right college or university.

Some programs may be available online which makes it much easier for you to continue working at your present job while earning the degree that helps you make the career change.

Depending on the field, you might find a blended program with part of the degree work done online and part time “in-residence” for a stated number of weeks or classes on the nearest campus. Other programs may require on site attendance as with medical or nursing school.

Compare the programs. As long as the degree is from a program of higher learning that has a Regional Accreditation, you have the best chance that your degree is valuable. Know that every school, online or on campus, claims accreditation.

The issue is what type of accreditation is necessary to be accepted for your career change? You need a regionally accredited degree to be considered for medical school or law school but you a lesser accreditation may be fine if your career goal is to attend an advanced flight school. The point is, know before you enroll and waste both time and money.

Start networking in your new field as frequently as possible. Sign up for a lower cost student membership to one or two leading professional associations in the field. These organizations have regular publications that you need to read.

If at all possible, attend a local chapter of the association or to the associations’ annual conference. In both cases, you will hear what’s new in the field, meet leaders in this career and begin to network for future job openings.

Hire a Career Coach who specializes in guiding people through a career change. Having a personal coach to teach you the steps and hold you accountable for completing them is worth the fee in preparing you to make a career change.

Your career coach gives an honest assessment of your skills, showing you how to identify which skills are transferable to the new field and which skills you need to acquire. When career change is important to you, don’t get in a hurry. Take time to position yourself for the career that you can enjoy for the rest of your working years.