Career Change Tips, Part One

Getting the itch?  

Feeling as though it’s time for something new? Well, before you consider your spouse the problem, consider your career. Many times people feel stuck because they are in a rut professionally. There are usually simple solutions—like being more productive, or enhancing your skills—but often times, people just aren’t matched up with the right career.

If you’ve done your soul-searching and have come to conclusion you’re ready for a change, here are five steps for making the change a success.

Questions & Answers…too much of one, not enough of the other.

A lot of the time when a person is changing careers they begin to ask how to get the new job, change industries, or how to set up their own business. There are hundreds of questions that come up with a new career change.

“Can I really do this?”

“How much money can I make?”

“What if I fail/it doesn’t work?”

“How am I going to make up for lost time?”

“How do I get a foot in the door?”

“Where do I start?”

What you need to realize is that you do not have to have all the answers. You can slowly gain the answers you need regarding a new career change as you move through the process.

Most individuals already have an idea of the career change they would like to make. They know the industry they are interested in, and though they are not sure if they could change to this career they need to find some answers.

Know Who the Winners are and Get to Know Them.

Step one in gaining a new career change is to find out who has been successful in the new career you are considering.   That is, who is where you want to be?   Ask yourself insightfully: ‘Who is at a place in life where I want to be?’

Who is it? 

Write that name down here _____________________________

If you don’t know the name, write down what qualities, characteristics they have that you wish to identify yourself with.   (Do that now)

It doesn’t matter if you know or don’t know that individual personally, or any such person at all; you can discover him or her. You may do a search online for a well known person that has succeeded in the career option you are looking for, or simply, find a trade journal within your career and call the editors and ask for their opinions on people who have what you want to be.

Your peers may know someone you can speak with.

Seek Knowledge & Insight.

Step two. Once you have found the person you seek you need to develop questions that will elicit the most useful information in helping you in planning to get to your end result.

1. What skills should I have?  Where should I get trained? Who did you train with?
2. What information (books, journals, courses/seminars) should I get?
3. Are there support groups/guilds, professional associations, retreats, etc. that people join to help support their career and network?

Develop more questions as your gut tells you, but please…be prepared ahead of time, especially if you are going to ask someone for their time. 

Turn the page for more insight...

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