How To Change Careers In 5 Simple Yet Unique Steps

Career changing has always been the most hectic and risky step to take in one’s life because you are never sure if it’s going to be a success or a failure. Hundreds of people nevertheless quit their jobs every month and that number has increased due to the covid19 pandemic.

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There are plenty of relevant reasons for one to decide to change their career. You should examine your current circumstances, study job possibilities, determine whether your current career needs to be revised, and choose a career that will be more fulfilling for you.

Before we look at the steps on how to change careers, let’s look at why you might want to change careers.

Why people change careers

People change occupations for a variety of reasons. You may be looking for other opportunities, believing that you have progressed as far as you can in your current position, or feeling burned out. However, starting a career in a new area might be daunting, especially if you work remotely.

Here are some reasons why you might want to change careers.

When you are not making any impact.

Every day looks and feels invisible and invaluable at work. You feel undervalued like your time, skills and talents are being taken for granted and are not put to use. Over time you feel like quitting because your skills and talents are going to waste.

Then it is automatically time to find a new job that plays to your strengths, and also provides new opportunities to develop new skills, and allows you to make purposeful contributions.

The salary you are earning can’t make up for your dissatisfaction.

The idea is you need money to meet your basic needs. And when it occurs to you that the money you are earning doesn’t justify you working, it may be time to quit. Leaving a job because of low salary wages is not an easy decision, particularly when you do not know what is waiting for you out there.

However, in cases where your job doesn’t pay well, it is not advisable to stick there, especially if you may not be able to afford to stay. We all need something that pays off our hard work and can help us make our lives better- I mean that is why we all work.

Your job is affecting your personal life.

Work should be challenging, but not draining. If you frequently feel stressed, losing sleep, suffering from headaches, or experiencing other physical symptoms, this may be your body’s way of telling you your career is not right for you. When you feel like your career is destroying your relationship with the people close to you then it means that it would be best to change your career.

How to change careers successfully without regrets.

If you’re considering changing careers, here are five easy steps on how to change careers smoothly.

Start by identifying your strengths.

When you bring your strengths into play, it will be much easier and you will naturally be more effective in your goals. Before changing your career you should take an initiative, to determine what your strength is. It’s not as simple as asking yourself what you’re already good at.

You have to look more deeply at skills and talents and analyze the characteristics and motivations that make you unique. Developing self-awareness provides the first crucial step in identifying your strength. You know yourself better than anyone else.

Start by listing what your strengths are. Look back to your earlier jobs and try to see what you enjoyed doing. This will give you an easier and concrete way of identifying your strength. Secondly, you can ask for assistance from either your family members or current colleagues at work. They may mention strengths you didn’t even know.

Lastly, you can interview yourself for your current job, as if you didn’t already have it. Try and ask yourself some questions for example, why you would or would not be hired for this job?

Reflect on your current job

The first thing you should take when deciding to change careers should be to reflect on your current situation. You could make a list of your likes and dislikes about your current role. What makes you good at that job? Take the time to think about anything possibly positives of your current situation and think about what you’d like to carry into your next career.

You should take time to reflect more on what you want to change in your new career. What are you going to benefit from the new career that you were not getting from your old career? How is it going to impact how you relate with your family and friends? Ask yourself these questions before you decide to change your job.

Do proper research on your new career.

One of the worst mistakes you can ever make when changing your career is failing to properly research your new career path first. Researching helps you get a sense of what experience people usually have before they get a foot in the door. A simple way to learn more about any field of interest is to conduct informational interviews with people in that field. The people working in that field will tell you everything you need to know.

How the media portrays, or as you imagine it to be it is not always the reality of working in a specific profession. Reach out to people currently working in the career field you want on LinkedIn and learn more about your field of interest. You can also use social media platforms to your advantage. Connect with family and friends on Facebook and see if they are aware of any positions that might be a good fit for you.

Check to see if the companies you have always wanted to work with have posted any jobs and see if you meet their requirements. And if you do then don’t hesitate to apply for a position that fits you.

You can also try and find a contact who will be able to connect you to the industry that you aspire to work in, and set up a meeting to learn more about successful traits, requirements, and skills of new hires, and what the hiring manager prioritizes and is looking for.

Try to brainstorm new careers ideas

You can first start by gathering a small group of people you trust to help you brainstorm. They necessarily don’t have to be in the same industry or Field. Secondly, you can ask for help from other professionals in your network. You can also seek professional guidance in the form of career counseling where you’ll likely learn more about your personality and how it fits into the evolving workforce of today.

Talk with friends and family about your values and interests, then try to identify career change ideas that fit. Once you have talked with your friends and professionals try and highlight your job change to see what comes up. Write a list of every career you’re interested in, then narrow it down to find possible new career ideas.

Objectively assess your interests, skills, and values

Note that it is always important to reflect on yourself after every few years as you navigate your professional life. Try and evaluate what motivates and energizes you in your career. What are your skills, interests, and values and don’t forget to observe if you have changed over time? If so, how? Review the list of your new career’s requirements, and make a plan to upgrade your skills and experience as required.

For long-term satisfaction, your career choices must go hand in hand with your values and priorities. To become more aware and specific of your values, you’ll want to highlight them.

To upgrade more on your skills, consider investing in formal or informal education. Nowadays, this is easier than ever, thanks to the technology that has made online courses possible that offer professional certifications to help you boost your credibility and enhance your skills.

conclusion

Procrastination is the most difficult obstacle many people experience when they are thinking about how to change careers. They want to make a change, but they don’t want to jeopardize their existing careers’ stability, and they’re concerned about what their family and friends will think. Things begin to change when you begin to act rather than think too much. Only after taking that leap can you then begin to plan for the future.

Here Is How To Change Careers In 5 Easy Steps Without Regrets