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6 Things to Consider before Making a Career Change

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 3178 views
6 Things to Consider before Making a Career Change

Change is the only constant thing in life, they say. It can vary from something as mundane as changing your toothbrush to life-altering decisions such as changing your career path.

Individuals consider a career change for multiple reasons. They may feel like they have no space for development in their present field, or the profession may not be all that they had trusted it would be.

 In either case, doing the change to another field can be an overwhelming undertaking, yet it's regularly important if you wish to discover fulfillment in your professional life.

So, are you thinking about a career switch, but you dread that the change probably won't be the correct choice for you? Don’t worry. This post addresses all of. But first, what are the reasons why people change careers?

  1.      Career dissatisfaction 
  2.      Need for new challenges 
  3.      Change in values and goals
  4.      Lack of passion
  5.      Work flexibility

Important Things to Consider When Making a Career Change

If you are looking to change careers, you should read through the following to be certain that you’re making a sound decision.

1.     Find out why you want a career change

2.     Ask if you can afford the change

3.     Think about how it would affect your loved ones

4.     Are you willing to start over again?

5.     Are you well equipped for your new position?

6.     How much change would a career switch actually bring?

  1.      Find out why you want a career change

This sounds like an obvious thing any professional seeking to make a career change would have thought deeply about, but it’s not as commonplace as you may assume. 

Before making this decision, ask yourself if it is the job you have disillusioned with or you just don’t like your boss. While not liking your boss is valid, abandoning a whole field for it is extreme.

Try not to abandon your job simply like that. You have contributed time and energy to creating a path for yourself in that field. Thus if you intend to change lanes,  you should be certain beyond a shadow of a doubt of it. 

Weigh in the level of work fulfillment you have working in the current field.

If you genuinely appreciate what you do, at that point it might simply be your workplace or your present organization’s practices that are making you miserable. If so, the less extreme action of changing companies would suffice.

  1.      Ask if you can afford the change

A career switch sounds easy on paper. After all, everything can be condensed into you picking a new job, albeit in a different field/industry. However, that’s not all there is to it. The process can be expensive. 

Consider the fact that you may be out of a job for a while. How do you sustain yourself during this period? You might also have to further your education or pick up new certifications to fit into your new field. Would you be able to take on such a financial burden?

Look at your finances. Calculate how this sort of progress would sway your accounts? Is it going to push back your retirement date or make it harder for your children to attend a university? Will you get more cash-flow, or will you make less? Will your family handle the chance of abandoning your pay for a piece while you recover financially? What will occur with your present money related commitments while you acclimate to your new position? These are the key questions to ask yourself.

It is not necessarily the case that you have to get more cash-flow to switch fields. What you have to know, however, is what your financial projection is. In case you're content with the responses to those questions, it might be doable to switch fields. If not, you should plan things out further before switching professions. It's consistently a matter of offsetting hazards with remunerations.

  1.      Think about how  it would affect your loved ones

Changing your career is a huge decision that affects not only you but your relatives as well. Except, of course, you have no one dependent on you.

In case you're in a serious relationship as well as you have children, changing professions will affect a larger number of lives than simply your own. As a result of this,  you have to consider how rolling out this improvement will affect others. 

On a fundamental level, consider how this move will change the ways of life of your significant other and/or your children.  How does your new work schedule affect them? Will they get the opportunity to see you regularly? Will they keep on having comparative ways of life, or will they need to roll out significant improvements? Will your significant other have the option to proceed at their specific employment? Is relocation on the table? These are some of the questions you should be ready to provide answers rid.

Keep in mind, the change you make presently will affect your loved ones.  Obviously, it's conceivable that this change could be extremely gainful, yet you need to look past yourself when thinking about entering another field. While changing professions may make you more joyful at work, you have to ensure that it won't negatively affect your home life. That would simply prompt you changing out one issue for another.

  1.      Are you willing to start over again?

Beyond the glitz and glamour of taking the ’courageous’ step to pursue a more fulfilling career isn’t he jarring reality that you most likely would have to start from the bottom and then work your way back up. 

This is especially daunting if you had acquired some seniority in your former field. Most employers would expect you to prove your competence before entrusting you with more responsibly. Therefore, are you willing to start all over – from the scratch? 

  1.      Are you well equipped for your new position? 

It’s one thing to want a role or a new industry. It is another thing to have what it takes to fill it up. Do you have the required qualifications that is necessary for the field you want to switch to? 

This is arguably the most practical reason why people aren’t jumping from profession-to-profession. Remember that you have to prove yourself worthy in your new field, particularly if you pick one that requires a lot of skills you don't, as of now, have. 

Luckily, though, it’s not all bleak. On here, we have always preached about the importance of transferable skills that are relevant across all industries and professions. Attempt to zero in on the skills that are adaptable to any profession. 

  1.      How much  change would a career switch  actually bring?

This is the last box you should tick in your career-changing mission. Will it truly transform anything for you? Do  you truly dislike your field, or is it simply your present situation with which you are troubled? Do you think you'd get more joy in the event that you moved elsewhere, or in the event that you changed to another organization? What is your forecast for the future in your proposed more career? In some cases another viewpoint can change things. 

Additionally, you should ensure multiple times to guarantee an all out change is  truly what you need, not simply that you're in a temporal emotional state.. Indeed, even the most energetic individuals lose energy for their jobs from time-to-time, so  sort out if your longing to change fields is genuine or is that you are simply attempting to move away based on what's making you upset at the present time. 

In a similar vein, investigate a few factors  — there's an opportunity it isn't your employment that is making you miserable and that it is something more profound, instead. A profession change may not be the fix. 

Note: there is nothing wrong with changing to another  field, some people do it consistently, even. In any case, it is significant that you consider all the conceivable outcomes before you take the jump. Stop to consider the bearing it would have on your family, your finances, and your psyche. Its not all bleak, though. 

Changing your career can bring about prosperity and fulfillment and in many cases, it is totally worth the danger to take a stab at something new. Still, you  can feel more certain with your  choice when it's thoroughly considered and very much educated.

For tips and guidance on how to land  job in any industry you want and perform efficiently, grab a copy of  our e-book 72 hours to the job you love.

Staff Writer

This article was written and edited by a staff writer.

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