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Career Change Advise
Career change becomes a necessity for some of us at one time or the other in our life. Is that what you are currently considering? Welcome. Be brave about it. Yes. Go for it after considering all the facts. It may bring you happiness beyond what you can comprehend now.
Never think that changing your career may signify failure.
The truth is, not having the will and strength to change your career when it becomes obvious to do so may actually be a sign of weakness and is in it self failure.
Even if you are 50 years or more, career change at 50 years or more is possible, and could still provide you with a pension and respectable retirement.
Working in a new job for 10 to 15 years should be able to help you achieve this. Mid life career change is practicable!
We may decide to change our career for so many reasons. In order to come to a very seasoned and practical career change decision, four issues need to be addressed.
First, be very clear in your mind why change career. Secondly, find out what the right job will be for you. Will you need to retrain for the new job or and if so what will is involved, fourth and finally, how to get that job.
It is very important to clarify in your mind the reason for your wanting to change your career.
Once this is clear and you are convinced it is worth it, this will help you stick on and wade through difficulties you may encounter on your way to securing that change in career.
Reasons why some have changed their careers are legion. They include:
• Not happy with current job (too stressful, under paid, not appreciated, e.t.c) • Difficult to find employment in a particular field of interest • Geographical / difficult commuting • Need to spend more time with family • Wants to work part time • Developed new interest in a specialty and wants to try it out What ever is your own reason for wanting to change employment or career, write it down clearly.
You may already have penned down the career you want to change to. Are you sure that is going to be right career for you? Finding the right career is one of the most important steps in effecting a career change.
The right career for you is not that popular and prestigious career, but the career that meets you financial, emotional, psychological, spiritual and social needs and for which you have or are willing and able to acquire the right skill mix to work in. Can you see that you may now need to get out a sheet of paper and tick which career will meet all these needs?
You may not need to search too hard for the right career for you in certain cases. All you may need to do is just making a lateral career change. This means that you remain in your current profession, and change into a different specialty.
An example is a medical doctor whose dream has been to become a brain surgeon, finds out mid way that he is not able to meet the required commitments, and then decides to be a family doctor or G.P.
Finding the right career involves indebt analysis of one’s interest and abilities, and one may need to undertake a career self assessment test as well as the occupational interest assessment test. You can find more on this on the career choice section.
The experience you have gained from your current or previous job may be all you need to effect a career change. In some cases, you may need to top this up with some refresher courses.
If you are however switching from a totally different profession to the other, you may need to retain and write professional exam.
You must research and find out what exams or training is involved. Do you have the financial and emotional commitment for this? What support will you get from family, friends, and may be the government? It may be worth finding out.
Retraining to be an electrician or a plumber or a medical doctor may not be as difficult as it may seem. If you are in the UK and you are looking to get a UK job or make a total career change, why not see if enrolling for an NVQ will aid this.
Having done all the above and happy with your choice of career, you need to look for a new job. The first step in this direction will involve your drawing up a career change CV or resume. You can see an example of, and read more about help in writing a career change cv here.
Armed with a new CV, recognise the fact that looking for job is your new job now, until you get that dream job of yours. Look out for job advert in all the usual place, join professional bodies that may be associated with that new career and get their journal where tips on getting job may be found.
Networking with people in that field is important… perhaps the most important factor in looking for ANY type of job these days. You can find more information on career change advise here.
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