We spend the majority of our adult lives at work, which means that it’s important that you enjoy your job. If you’ve been working in your current role for some time and have come to realise that actually, it’s not all you thought it would be and probably isn’t a good fit for you; then you might be thinking about making a midlife career change. There’s nothing wrong with making a career change part way through your working life, but it’s important to realise that it’s not always as easy as you might think.
Changing careers at any point is a big decision and one that requires a lot of thought. It’s not something that you want to rush into because you need to be sure about it before you make the mistake of doing something that you may later regret. However, if you’re certain that a career change is what would make you happy, then you’re not alone – each year, more and more people are choosing to change careers.
To help guide you through the career changing process, we’ve put together some useful tips and pieces of advice. Take note, and you can make changing careers that little bit easier and less stressful for yourself.
Dedicate some time
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make when it comes to changing career is not thinking carefully enough about the decision. A career change isn’t something to be rushed; it’s something that deserves time and thought. The best way to start the process of changing careers is to create a plan that outlines what your goals are and when you want to achieve them – this gives you something to work towards. You can use this plan to take things one step at a time, instead of quitting your job immediately and starting to apply for others. It’s much better to take things slowly, to ensure that you don’t end up jobless and struggling financially.
Think about your non-work life
As well as thinking about the impact a career change would have on your working life, such as how much happier you would be in a new role, think about the impact on your non-working life. Ask yourself, will a career change mean I get to spend less time with my family and friends? Will changing careers mean I have to commute further each day? Will a career change mean earning less per month as you will be starting from the bottom? These are all important things to think about and consider. Say, for instance, you currently work in marketing and work 9-5 most days but want to change to working in medicine; it’s important to realise that this will probably mean unsociable and longer hours.
Speak to a careers advisor
Believe it or not, there are careers advisors outside of schools and universities, because careers advice isn’t just for teenagers. So if you aren’t 100% sure about your career change choice or have questions about the steps that you will need to take, making an appointment to see a careers advisor could be the answer. Sometimes chatting things through can be all it takes to help you decide whether you’re making the right choice for you.
Get the necessary training and experience
If you’re going to change careers successfully, you need to be willing to undergo all the necessary training and gain the required experience. Of course, knowing what training and experience is required for a certain role can be tricky. Let’s say, for instance, that you want to work in healthcare but aren’t sure what training you will need to undergo or the experience you will need to get to do so. The best thing that you can do is browse roles online that you would like to apply for, such as these healthcare jobs here, and look at what the required training and experience is so that you can get a better idea of what you will need to do to be successful. It could be a couple of weeks of training or a couple of years, it all depends on the specific role and industry. As for the experience that you will need, again that will depend on the sector and specific role.
Take advantage of networking
Whatever industry you’re in or want to go into, it’s important to take advantage of networking. By attending local networking events for the industry or field that you want to get into, you can begin to build your contacts. Often, it’s not about what you know but who you know, so building relationships with other local people in the field that you want to get into is important. Whether you take part in online networking events on Twitter and Facebook, attend networking breakfasts, or attend dinners with others from the field that you want to get into, it doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you’re building relationships with others in the field that you want to get into.
Embrace all opportunities
When you are changing career, you need to understand the importance of being willing to embrace all opportunities that come your way. Say you apply for an internship and are unsuccessful but are offered the opportunity to shadow a member of the team for a week, don’t turn it down because you didn’t get the role you applied for. Remember, all experience is good experience, so whatever opportunities you are offered, take advantage of, else you may end up regretting it.
Choosing to change careers part way through your adult life isn’t an easy decision to make as there’s a lot to think about and consider. However, if you know that making a career change will enhance your working life and make it more enjoyable, it’s something that’s worth doing. It might mean taking a leap of faith, but if it will give you the life that you have always dreamed of, it’s worth it. You spend the majority of your adult life at work, so loving what you do is important, else you’re just wasting your life.