We all need a change now and then. Sometimes it can be small like rearranging your home or changing your appearance. Other times, though, you need to make a more significant change. One of the biggest and most common changes people want to make is to change their career. Changing your career can be a seriously scary prospect. You might have put years of hard work into what you’re currently doing and the idea of leaving that all behind can make it feel like a waste. But if you’re looking at doing something new then there’s a pretty good chance that you’re not all the happy with what you’re currently doing anyway. If you’re really serious about making a change in your career, then make sure you think about these three important things.
How will it impact your finances?
If you’ve decided to switch careers then that might come with a chance that you’re going to be reducing your finances. This isn’t always the case, but it is something that you need to think about. If it looks like your career change will come with a drop in your salary, then you need to ask yourself if it’s worth it. If you’re changing careers to follow your passion, then you might well find yourself happy to make that sacrifice. If that’s the case, then you need to make sure that you’re in a position to do it. Make sure that you don’t set yourself up for any serious money problems. If you have a partner, make sure you talk to them about it first. Otherwise you could end up causing some serious tension in your relationship.
Will you need extra training?
Depending on the type of career you’re hoping to embark upon, you may well need to train for some time to actually get into that field. This is especially true for very specialized careers. Things like public safety courses obviously aren’t going to be useful for everyone, but for those who work within that sector they can be invaluable when it comes to moving forward. Whatever path you’re taking it’s important that you understand the commitment that is involved in it. If you need to train to start a new career, it’s going to take a great deal of time and effort.
Your skill set
One of the things that put people off making a career change is the idea of having to develop and entirely new set of skills. Of course, there will always be new skills that you need to learn when you start any new career. But by the same token, you probably have a lot of skills that you can transfer to your new career regardless of what it is. Time management, communication, teamwork. All of these are going to apply to any kind of work. Make sure then when you’re being interviewed that you highlight these transferable skills. This will do wonders for making you really stand out in the eyes of a potential new employer.
Changing your career is always going to be a big step. The most important thing is to really take the time to figure out if you’re making the right choice. That last thing you want is to be doing this all over again in six months time.
