Making a career change is a big deal. It costs time, effort, as well as money. To some people, these factors could be worth the career change. When you decide to make a career change, you really have to think it through and prepare for the transition, so how do you make a successful career change? Read on and find out how.
Career Change: Do You Really Need It?
Before you even think about changing careers, ask yourself if you really need it and are the risks worth taking? In a news release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median number of years that wage and salary workers stay with their current employer was 4.2 years. It’s also been said that an employee will change careers five to seven times in their professional lives.
How To Make a Successful Career Change
Now if you’re really set on changing careers, you would want to transition to your new career as smoothly as possible. Here are some ways to increase your chances of success while shifting careers:
Evaluate Yourself
If you’ve already decided that you need a career change, the first thing you need to do is to assess yourself. What are your skills and your experience? If you need help evaluating your career, you can try career tests to see if the result you get is close to your new career choice.
List Out Your Choices
When you’re preparing to make a career change, list out all the choices generated by the career tests you took and see if there are occupations that appear multiple times. The occupation that appears most frequently may be one of the career choice for you.
Research About the Career
Researching a career path is vital, especially if you have no idea about some of the careers on your list. Look at the job descriptions, career/educational requirements, as well as salary points to ensure the transition will be a good fit for your needs.
Upgrade Your Skills
No matter if you’re making a career change or not, it is essential to enhance your skills continuously. By upgrading/acquiring new skills, your transition to your new career will be slightly easier.
Leave Your Job Properly
This is already a given but make it to a point to leave your job properly – follow the process and don’t burn any bridges at your former place of employment.
Shifting careers can feel nerve racking, but with these tips on hand, you can make your career change easier.