22inMotion Business Blog

Advice for Changing Careers

by admin on Feb.06, 2010, under 22 In Motion

Changing careers can be difficult, fun and challenging all at the same time. You must put a lot of thought and consideration into what career field you may want to go into. During this process you will need to ask yourself quite a few questions. Here are some of the few questions you may want to ask yourself, “What makes me happy and what interests me?”, “Why do I want to change career paths?”, “What would I enjoy doing or be good at?”, “What kind of salary do I want to earn?”, and “What would be required of me?”. Let’s talk about some of these questions and decisions you will be facing. Also, you may want to consider starting your own business or become a freelancer. There are many communities for people to showcase skills and showcase talents that can help get a freelance business off the ground.

When deciding to make a career change, think about your interests or even hobbies. What do you like to do? Why are you considering a new particular career change? What do you like or dislike? Would you really be happy doing this for the rest of your life? There are a lot of unanswered questions when just considering a new career path so make sure you take the time you need to figure out the answers to these questions. Keep a journal or a notepad and jot down ideas in it. Once you have several ideas jotted down, take a more in depth look at those types of careers.

Next, think about why you want to make that change. Is there something with your current career that you don’t like? What things do you like about what you currently do? Use the notebook or journal that you’ve been writing in and jot down some of these thoughts as well. You may even want to consider if you would enjoy doing the requirements of this new field. This will help you get a better understanding of what it is that you may be looking for with a new career. It may even help you rule out some careers you’ve previously considered. When your work is something you truly enjoy, it is easier to advance within the company because you’ll be more motivated.

Another great question when considering a career change is, what kind of salary might you earn. Some will change careers to make more money than they previously did while others will change careers with lower pay in turn of less stress, less hours or more free time. When considering your new salary, ask yourself if this new position would require you to go back to school. How much time would you spend in school and how much will your tuition cost? Would your current employer or company help pay with such expenses? You can also speak with college advisers to help you choose the necessary classes to obtain your goals. These are just a couple of things to consider before venturing out into a new career field.

Read as much as you can about what careers interest you so that you have all the knowledge you need to make a wise decision. You may also want to consider the type of field you’re going into. Do most of these new found positions require any amount of experience? Would you be able to do volunteer work to gain this type of experience? Another important thought is do you know anyone in this field to help you get your foot in the door?

As you can see, changing careers can be exciting with the vast opportunities that they may hold but there is also a lot to think about. It’s best to write everything down to help keep your thoughts clear so you can focus on follow up questions before making any life changing decisions. The most important thing to remember is that you want to be happy so make sure you pick a field that is best suited for you personally.


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