THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF CHANGING CAREERS
You spend half of your waking hours working. Your career affects your mental health and future, so it's not unusual to think about a career change. I made my own big career change thirty years ago, so I know the feeling. Here's what I've learned from my experience and from those I've helped navigate these difficult waters.
1. Read the best book on changing careers.
2. Assess your motivation.
3. Know what really interests you.
4. Learn your likes and dislikes about past jobs.
5. Take measure of your transferable skills.
6. Be sure you have good family support.
7. Talk to people in careers that interest you.
Read the best book out there on how to change careers
Richard Bolles wrote "What Color is Your Parachute" over 30 years ago, and updates it yearly. His book contains detailed instructions on networking, assessing your interests and skills, and figuring out the types of people you enjoy working with. His book provides exercises to figure all this stuff out. The latest editions are full of information about using the internet for job searches and career changes. You need to know this book by heart.
Assess your motivation level
If you're like most people, changing careers really challenges your identity and finances. So taking the career change risk is very scary. The more motivated you are to make the change, the better you'll be able to do the huge amount of work required.
Similarly, you need to know why you to want to change careers. Is it because you hate what you are doing? Perhaps there's something you love doing that you want to do full time, or maybe you need more money. Possibly you want to live elsewhere. It's important to know why you want to change careers so you can be sure your new career path meets those needs.
Know what really interests you
A new career must be very interesting to you. Otherwise you will become bored and discouraged very quickly. The career that will bring you satisfaction will match your own interests and personality.
Look at the types of people who have the careers you are considering. People who are satisfied with their careers tend to work with people of similar interests and values. They get along and enjoy working together.
Know what you like and don't like about your other jobs
Take time to identify what turned you on and off in every job you ever had - even the jobs you had when you were a kid. Knowing what you didn't like in your old jobs is just as important as knowing what you liked. Obviously, you should choose a career that matches the things you liked, and avoid work and work environments that you don't like.
Take accurate measure of your transferable skills
The more new skills you need to learn to change to a new career, the more difficult (and expensive) the change will be. Most people have no idea what skills they have or which ones they love to use. Even worse, they don't believe their current skills can be transferred to a new career. Identify your transferable skills, so you can make good career decisions and to sell yourself to people who can hire you.
Be sure you have good family support
A career change is very challenging emotionally for you and for those who love and depend on you. If you have a family, you will need their total support, and they will need you to be considerate of their concerns. You will have to communicate a lot and make some difficult financial decisions. If you don't have the support of your family, your chances of success are poor.
Talk to everybody you meet who's in a career that interests you
Everything I've discussed so far helps you reduce your career options from hundreds to, perhaps, a dozen. In the end, you have to talk to people - lots of people. Lucky for you, nearly everybody who enjoys his/her career likes to talk about it. Interview people about their careers - called "networking" - so you can learn what their work is really like. This is where the "rubber hits the road" and where you will finally reap the benefits of all your preparatory work.
In conclusion:
This really works, but it takes work to make it work. Be patient; the process takes time and you don't want to mess it up. Done right, making a successful career change can be one of life's most rewarding experiences.
References:
Richard Bolles, "What Color is Your Parachute, 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers," Berkley, Ca: Ten Speed Press, 2009; http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/
John Holland, "Making Vocational Choices," Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association, 1997
The Bureau of Labor Statistics "Occupational Outlook Handbook" is also a valuable and reliable resource. It can be accessed at http://www.bls.gov/OCD/
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