Tips on how to change careers

A career is not just your livelihood but must also satisfy emotional needs and wants and intellectual person. Very often, people cannot take the career of their choice due to financial problems or other constraints. However, after a point of time, it becomes difficult to continue working on a job that you don't like. A change of work in the same career stream might not be the right solution. Therefore, a change in career may be the only alternative.

People tend to change their career when they are bored, fed up or unhappy with their current one. They prefer looking for a more rewarding profession, one that best aligns with their skills, interests and values.

How to change careers is an important decision, one has to seriously look at the possibilities and opportunities ahead before making a change. A smooth transition between careers is essential, otherwise they can become traumatic. Bearing in mind some tips to make it easier to transition and guide you in the right direction.

Do a self-assessment

This is the most important step to establish a viable career plan. Evaluate your experience, skills and interests in relation to labour history, hobbies and volunteer experiences. Examine your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses and areas of interest. This will help to find out the direction you want to move in the future. Online career assessment tests help you discover the area of interest that might not have been considered before.

Reason for change

After evaluating yourself, try to find out why need change. There could be various reasons as the antipathy to the employer or supervisor, limited growth opportunities or just boredom of work. If the problem is rectifiable, should be adopted the necessary measures; otherwise, you need to change careers.

Create an action plan

Carefully outline a detailed action plan. Don't rush a career change without giving their own thought and due attention to issues such as:

or do you need more education?

or do you need more money?

or A mid-term work or part-time work would be needed?

A change of career success requires patience, as it sometimes requires a great deal of time to switch from one career to another.

Setting goals and objectives

Learn your goals and objectives for the future and set a goal for the new field. Consider the possibility of progress in achieving your goal.

Make a list of possibilities

List of careers based on your desires and skills. Seek the advice of family, friends, colleagues and career management professionals. Narrow your list down to a few and start looking over them, as this can give a better perspective and understanding. Consider the pros and cons of each type of career to get a specific choice to pursue. Examine your qualifications to see if they fit the career they have chosen.

Know the desired field

More information about the field that interests you. Read magazines, participate in conferences and talk to people in the field that you want. Find out if the desired industry has growth potential.

Influence

Don't let others influence to change your career. Follow the advice of other people, but take your own decision whether you choose a new career.

Choose someone to help with the process of changing your career so that you help when you get discouraged or confused. Instead, look for a professional that can keep you focused and upbeat. These professionals can help you identify new fields and applying new jobs.

You should keep in mind that you might have to compromise on your salary or title. Therefore, it should be flexible on salary, relocation and employment status.

Changing your career can be an exciting and awakening of experience and can help you realize your true potential.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for the MBA Journal. Six Sigma Online aveta solution ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.