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If you are considering a career change, and there’s a high chance you are (or will in the future), you might have planned your next steps already. Perhaps you are thinking about change, but you don’t know how – or where – to begin. Changing careers is daunting for most people: it’s hard to leave a secure job, especially when the way forward isn’t clear. If this is you, don’t worry! Here’s how you can get started on the path to the career you want. Here is how to change your career in 3 easy steps.
First, It’s Time To Ask Yourself Some Essential Questions:
● What job would I like to do? Or simply: What do I enjoy doing?
● What skills do I already have?
● What new skills do I need?
The answers to these questions will help you decide the following steps:
● What training could I do?
● Should I study more?
Step 1: Identify Your Skills Gap
Consider the soft skills you already have: for example, are you a good listener? An excellent communicator? Are you a critical thinker or a problem solver? Do you thrive in a team? These skills are essential in most workplaces. Reflect on the ones you already do well.
Next, think about which skills you could learn, refresh or develop. As more workplaces turn hybrid in the aftermath of the pandemic, employers now look for agile leadership qualities, so maybe you need to add specific leadership skills to your existing skillset.
Once you have thought about your skills, you can form a plan. If your new career is similar to what you are leaving, you may only need to upskill a few areas. If you want to move to a different field of expertise altogether, reskilling or even a complete retrain could be required.
Step 2: Choose Your Education Path
Now that you have identified your skills gap, you can choose how you want to go forward. A findcourses.co.uk survey identified that 83% of respondents know they need to learn something new for their intended career change, and with so many paths available, the biggest challenge is choosing which one! There are many professional help websites dedicated to specific fields, for example in mathematics it could be Plainmath. There are training courses available to help build several essential skills for those looking to upskill or reskill, some of the most popular options are leadership training programs
Do you need to retrain for your chosen new career? If so, why not consider something completely different and study overseas? In addition to presenting an exciting personal challenge, studying abroad broadens your education, increases your network, and makes future employers notice you. Furthermore, with course lengths varying from just a few weeks to three or four years, there are plenty of options available.
Step 3: Test The Resiliency Of Your Future Career
Just before you put your plan into action, take time to research your chosen career’s long-term prospects. Will Artificial Intelligence replace your new job, or is it one of the eight professions predicted to grow in the future?
On a more practical level, how is your salary going to look in five years? Ten years? Longer? Although salary featured third in the findcourses.co.uk survey as an incentive for changing jobs
– behind wanting to try something new and well-being – most people want a financially secure career. Using a comparative tool to look at salary trends can be a great way to assess the resiliency of your new career.
Going Forward
It is natural to feel nervous about changing careers, but the first steps are often the most challenging part of a journey. With the proper research behind you, an excellent skill set, and a clear path forward, you are ready to take on the career you want.
PS: If there’s anything more you’d like us to know about. Add it to the comments section!
