Whether you went to school for your current profession or not, there comes a time when many of us feel burned out and unfulfilled at our current jobs. Unfortunately, time away from work or an extended vacation isn’t always the solution.
That begs the question: How can you change your career path?
While the answer is different for everyone because everyone has different skill sets and are in different positions, here are five paths that can lead you to a new career.
Come up with a plan before taking the leap
This is, quite possibly, the most important step when it comes to changing your career path. Yes, you might think you can’t take your current job and situation any longer, but taking drastic measures via a terrible plan is only going to make your situation worse.
After all, if you quit your job without having a financial cushion or a new job secured, then you can bring on added stress and desperation as a result of uncertainty and not knowing what lies ahead. Not only could your savings take a hit from being out of work, but time with no job can lead you to taking an even worse job than the one you had before because you might be desperate to find a new one.
Before leaving your current job, you have to come up with an actionable and achievable plan to ensure no further damage takes place.
Go back to school
Going back to school could be your best option when it comes to changing careers because it will teach you the necessary skills and knowledge for your new profession. Not to mention, some careers require you to have a certain amount of schooling.
As an example, eye doctors need four-year degrees before they can get into an optometry program, and then they have to finish said program before they can become optometrists. Without schooling, one cannot become an eye doctor, and without schooling, you might not be able to realistically switch to your desired field.
Figure out what will fulfill you and what you’re skilled in
While this might be contradicting, when making a big career decision, it’s important to brainstorm what you’re skilled in as well as reflect on what fulfills you.
Both are equally important. Ideally, your skills match up, at least in some way, with your passions, even if you have broad skills.
If you pick a new career that you’re not fulfilled in, then you will be back in the same boat you were in before. However, if you pick a career you don’t have skills in, then you could be a bad fit for the job and might not even get interviews or hired in the first place.
Luckily, you can learn new skills over time that better align with your passions.
Take a learning assessment
Many people work at dead-end jobs, but they don’t know which career would make them happier.
That’s why an online learning self-assessment is a great option for anyone who is thinking about changing professions. These assessments can help you match up your skills to many different jobs and industries, and this could give you a better idea of what will make you happy in your new career.
Shadow other professions or secure an internship
A good way to learn about a new job or industry is to shadow someone in the industry or secure an internship. This will help you learn what the day-to-day duties are as well as teach you practical skills to succeed.
Shadowing professionals and internships might also be a cheaper option than going back to school and could lead to you meeting invaluable connections and getting your foot in the door of your desired profession.
There are many routes to take when changing your career path and we hope the five options above can help you along your journey.
