You’ve studied, you’ve worked hard and you’ve made your way up the corporate ladder. But now that you finally have time to breathe and look around, you realise that you’re not as happy with your career as you thought you would be. Is it maybe time for a complete change, and if so, how would you go about it? Let’s take a look.
1 Take your pulse
Before you make the decision to leave your current field, first make sure that you are truly unhappy in your industry, and not simply bored and stuck in a rut. Talk to your manager about taking on different responsibilities and moving your career forward again. Exploring new possibilities within your current role could be just what the doctor ordered.
2 Find out what you like
If you come to the realisation that your career holds little value for you, it’s time to find out what does. Start making a list of everything you like doing, everything you’re good at, everything you’re passionate about. If you’re close to burn out, it may take a while to reconnect with what makes you happy – which means that making a list of what fills you with enthusiasm could be long overdue.
3 Search the job market
It’s a brave new world out there, which means that new jobs and career paths are popping up all the time. Once you have a good idea of where your passions lie, you’ll be able to research available roles and find a link between the two. If you love cooking, it’s an easy leap to becoming a chef – but if you love amusement parks, you might never stumble upon an opening for a waterslide tester (yes, it’s a thing) without doing a little leg work.
4 Upskill yourself
If you work in the finance industry and suddenly decide to pursue your passion for psychology, it’s clear you’ll need significant training before you can hang that name plate on your new office door. If you decide to become a musician or an artist, you might not need a university degree, but some type of formal coaching can only be beneficial. Remember that you’re now competing against a younger generation, most of whom are entering the job market with the freshly learned skills you still need to acquire.
5 Save, save, save
If you’re going from a management position all the way back down to a junior one, you need to be prepared for a substantial drop in salary. You may have immense job satisfaction but you’ll still need to pay the rent. If you want to keep the same quality of life while starting from the bottom in a new career, you’ll need to save at least 3-6 months’ salary before making any kind of move. You’ll then have the best of both worlds – a job you love, and a lifestyle you can afford.
Looking for more useful career advice? Read these 5 steps for a mid-year reboot and these 6 steps for making a difficult decision.
