Are you looking for a new line of work? If so, you’re not alone. The days of people choosing one career and staying with it for life are long gone. Most people cycle through several career changes over the course of their working life. If you aren’t quite sure what you want your change to be, the tips below can help you.
Just Get Started
There’s a lot to be said for researching, considering your options, and taking it slow. In fact, that’s the kind of thing most of this article is going to advise you to do, but there are some advantages to jumping in with both feet as well. That doesn’t mean closing your laptop this instant and going in to tell your boss exactly what you think of them before walking out the door.
However, it does mean that you should feel free to explore some different potential pathways while you’re gathering information. If you are thinking of going into investing or real estate, you can buy shares of properties without committing to purchasing an entire property. This is a great way to get your feet wet if you don’t have much capital or just aren’t interested in the hassle of property management. Reviewing a real estate glossary can help you better understand the key terms you’ll need to be successful.
Dream a Little Dream
This is a great time to dream big, letting yourself brainstorm and remember all the things you wanted to be throughout your life and maybe some new ones as well. Think through your most engaging ideas. What will you need to do to move into that field? Do you need to go back to school? Who can you contact to get more information? Ultimately you want to make a successful career change but for this stage, don’t limit yourself. You’re trying to harness as many ideas as possible as well as potentially identify some patterns of preference that will help you make your decision.
Now Back to Earth
Once you have generated a big list of ideas, it’s time to be realistic about your strengths and limitations. If you can’t carry a tune or play a single note on any instrument, an orchestral career is unlikely at this stage, but there may be many more career avenues open to you than you realize. At the same time, there can be some value in leveraging your existing background and experience into a new position. Plenty of people have made radical changes in their careers in their 30s, 40s and beyond and had it work out, but before you make this pivot, consider what it is that you want to change in your current line of work and whether you can fulfill that desire by moving into a related field.
Consider Retraining
Be cautious, but ultimately, if you find you want to do something very different, you should take that step. Don’t be daunted if you need to retrain or go back to school. Career change has become so common that you are likely to meet others of a similar age in the same position as you. Acquiring new skills will demonstrate the extent of your commitment to your new employer and better prepare you for your new position.
