Changing Careers: Tips on What to Do

 

Changing Careers can be both challenging and at times scary. After getting familiar with the dos and don’ts of a job, starting a new career can be a mind-blowing experience. Here are some tips to help you navigate this transition stress-free. Start by putting on paper what you enjoy doing. What are you good at doing? Do you like what you’re doing presently? A good paid job is always a good motivation but ask yourself if you will be volunteering to do that job for free. This process is called self-assessing.

1.      

Know yourself.

What do you like to do? Make a list of activities and tasks that excite you. These my include:

·         Helping others

·         Solving complex problems

·         Doing stuff with your hands

·         Creating art writing

·         Lead a team or a project

·         Research

·         Mentoring

 

2.      Identify your strengths.

What I am good at doing:

·         Strong communicator

·         Good listener

·         Skilled in problem solving

·         Natural leader

·         Details oriented

·         Creative

·         Tech Savy

3.     What motivates you.

Identify what makes you excited to wake up in the morning and keeps you going all day:

·         Making a positive impact on others

·         Challenging yourself

·         Overcoming obstacles

·         Continuous learning

·         Contribution to a larger missions and causes

 

4.       Am I happy to be at my current job.

Consider what you like about your job:

·         The pay wage

·          The people I work with

·         The people I work for

·         The work environment

·         The opportunity for growth and learning

·         The work environment and culture

5.     Determine your new focus.

Find out everything you can about your new focus and get on it. Conduct research. Identify how long it will take you to familiarize yourself with it?

6.     Make connections.

Participate in seminars or workshops. Top of Form

Do internship or volunteer work.

7.     Do a reality check.

Analyze all the steps involved and make sure that you are ready for this new venture. Who will help you travel in this new direction? Have a system ready, friends, family, people who will support you with no judgment.

8.     Develop an action plan.

After you determine what you want to do, ask yourself what you should do to get started. Will you go back to school? Prepare yourself and be ready to put time and work toward whatever you choose to do. Anything valuable takes time.

 

How To Change Careers, According To 50 People Who Made A Pivot (forbes.com)

 

 5 Tips for Changing Careers | Harvard Extension School

By: Rose-May John (Career Peer)