Career Change - 3 Easy Ways to Make a Career Change and 1 Difficult Way to Make a Career Change

Often people assume that making a career change must mean throwing away everything they've built up in order to find carer happiness. They feel that they must start over in a completely new field in order to change careers. This is the difficult way to change careers, and, happily, it is not the only way to change careers.

Your job actually consists of the type of work you do and the industry you work in. If you look at your job on those two separate levels, you may find many career opportunities that you had never considered before.

Easy Ways to Change Your Career

1. Work in the same job but in a different industry


Imagine you are an administrative assistant for a small legal firm. Administrative jobs at legal firms are notoriously challenging; the expectations can be quite high. You may enjoy and be well suited to office admin work, but you are feeling burnt out by the constant late nights and demands of your employer. Throughout you career, you have worked at three different law firms, and the corporate culture has been the same in all three workplaces.

In this case, you don't necessarily need to make a full career change to find a job that is a good match for your needs. You may be very happy to continue working in an administrative role, and a simple change to admin work in a new industry may be all that you need. It may sound simple, but when you're in the midst of intense career stress, this option is not always obvious.

Determine whether it's your industry that is the source of your career unhappiness. If so, pursuing the same job in a different industry can be a simple way to change careers. You already have the skills and experience required to do the itself; your biggest challenge will involve finding ways to network with employers in new industries.

2. Work at a different job in the same industry


Perhaps you find your industry interesting and valuable, but your job is no longer a good fit for your needs. In that case, working towards a new job within the same industry may be an ideal wy to make a career shift that will work for you. In this case, you will have the benefit of all of your industry contacts, and any opportunities for growth within your own organization. You main job in this case would be to target a position that is of interest to you and ensure you have all of the skill necessary to move into that role.

3. You may make gradual shift to a completely new career


Instead of leaping to a completely new job in a completely new industry, you may be able to make your career change in steps. First changing jobs but not industries, then shifting to a new industry (of course, the other way around, new industry then new job can also work).

Imagine, for example, that you are a customer service representative . You take inbound customer services calls for a large company, but your dream is to be an adult education instructor. Your first career move may be a new job with your current organization. Since your interest is in teaching, you may target a training position, teaching new staff in the customer service department by ensuring the appropriate people are aware that you have the interest and ability to handle this role.

Once you secure a teaching position in your current industry, you'll determine the skills, education and experience required to be an adult education in instructor outside of your current organization. Look for ways to build those skills and experiences into your current job, and if you are provided training opportunities through your job, take those opportunities to get related education that will help you to be marketable as an adult education teacher. Once you have built the skills and experience needed to be marketable in your new field, begin to job search to make your final step in this career change.

This strategy for career change can take some time, but it is also less drastic than leaping into a completely new job and industry all at once. It can smooth the transition for you and often minimizes financial stresses that can be involved in making a substantial career change.

4. The toughest career change is switching to a new job in a new industry all at once


When you make this type of career change, you will need to find ways to build the skills experience and perhaps education required for the new job, and at the same time, you will need to build a whole new network of contacts in a new industry. It is entirely possible to make this type of career change, but it will require a serious commitment. It may be necessary to return to school to build on your existing skills or become involved in the new field first in a volunteer capacity to gain experience. You may be required to accept a lower paying, entry level job in your new job and new industry, and you'll need to be prepared to do some highly effective job searching.

Building a new career can be quite rewarding and well worth the effort it takes to make a career change. There are several smart strategies for making a career change. Consider the best options for your own current situation before you launch into your career change.

Lisa McGrimmon publishes Career Choice Guide Visit her site for more information about making a career change