Five Questions You Cant Change Your Career Without - CareerAlley

Five Questions You Cant Change Your Career Without - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Weve all heard of the mid-life crisis. More recently mid-twenties crisis has even become a thing. We use these terms to describe someone who has reached a point in their life where they feel the need for change. Sometimes, these changes are out of the blue, and far from what the person in question or anyone else expects. Hence, the label of crisis. In truth though, these times of change are when were most in tune with ourselves. They are when we face our dissatisfactions head on, and consider how we could get closer to the lives we want. Some people allay such feelings by dyeing their hair a different color, of getting a new car. For others, though, the need for change runs deeper. In these cases, an individuals scrutiny will often fall on their career. You are stuck in a job you hate, and you wearily climb out of bed with longing for another life. Surely you are meant for more than this, right? Do you really want to live your life hating your job? Tweet This Our jobs form a huge part of our lives. The majority of us spend more time working than anything else. As such, it makes sense that we lose patience with jobs that dont set our hearts racing. Its not uncommon for individuals to crave career changes in their later years. After all, we are always changing and evolving as people. A career that was perfect for you in your early twenties may not suit you anymore. If you think this is the case, its important to permit yourself to make a change. What Color Is Your Parachute? 2019: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers Price: $15.08 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 But, career changes in later life arent always easy. When youre young, you have a variety of options. You can jump in and out of careers until you find one that suits and no one judges you for doing so. When youre older, the path to a new career cant be so erratic. Short stretches in a variety of jobs will do real damage to your resume. Plus, bills and commitments mean that it wouldnt be practical. Instead, your career change needs to be thought through, and careful process. Before you entertain the idea of handing in your notice, make sure you know where you intend to go. The best way to work that out is to ask yourself a few crucial questions. The exact content of those questions will vary from person to person, but this list should form a good starting point for anybody. What incited the change? First, you need to know what caused your desire for change. Without getting to the bottom of this, youll find it near enough impossible to progress. To start with, make sure it is your career thats causing dissatisfaction. When were unhappy with our lives, we often focus on the wrong areas for improvement. If you let a general dissatisfaction pull you away from a career you love, youll soon regret it. So, think carefully about where your main unhappiness lies. If its elsewhere, try solving those issues before focusing on your job. And, the work doesnt stop there. If your main unhappiness is your job, there are still things to consider. You need to work out why your current career makes you unhappy. Its the only way to ensure your new one can bring a higher level of happiness. Sometimes, we like our jobs but dont get along with the people we work with. Other times, its the nature of the work that doesnt suit. Perhaps youve been locked in an office for years, and want the chance to work outside. Write down a listof all the things you dislike about your job, and rate each point regarding importance. Return to this time and again while deciding a new career. Pexels Image What do you want to get from the change? Its also important you consider what you want to achieve from the change. Are you looking for a job with more satisfaction or a role with less responsibility? Again, determining this is crucial to ensure happiness. The types of careers which would suit vary widely depending on these factors. For example, a care job would be ideal for someone looking for satisfaction, but wouldnt suit someone looking for an easy life. Itll help if you keep in mind the list of downsides youve written about your current career. By looking at these, you should be able to see common themes that will lead you closer to your goal. If both long hours and stress factors, you can be sure youre looking for an easier life. If a lack of respect is a common theme, it may be time to consider a management role instead. What is your skillset? Now that you have a better understanding of how to achieve your happiness, its time to consider your skill set. You probably expect to have a pretty good grasp on this by now, but you may find that its more elusive than you think. We often speak about skills and strengths when were young, but we rarely consider them when were older. As such, you may find that your mind draws a blank when you get to this stage. Dont worry. Practice patience, and approach this as though for the first time. How to Make Yourself Promotable: 7 skills to help you climb the career ladder Price: $9.90 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 Start with the basics. Are you an extrovert, or an introvert? This should be something you already know quite well about yourself, so its a good place to get going. Its also important to get this out of the way. An extrovert would thrive in say, a teaching role, while an introvert wouldnt get along. At the same time, an introvert would operate well in a job such as writing, while an extrovert would hate it! So, do you like being in front of the crowd, or would you rather work in isolation? glassdoor.com Its also worth considering whether youre an academic or a practical person. This is probably something you havent thought about since leaving school, but its important. Even if you used to hate the classroom, consider where you are now. It may be that you have more appreciation for academia than you once did. Or, perhaps life has taught you that keeping your head in books isnt the best way forward. If youre willing to give academia another go, consider returning to education. This is a sure way to make a good amount of money at entry-level in your new career. That said, more practical individuals can gain qualifications in other ways. If you want to give something like mechanics a go, you could always study an online course, like a masterof engineering. That way, you can get stuck straight in, and still rest easy that youll earn a decent wage at the end of it. Think hard about which option would suit you best. Wikimedia Image Its also worth considering whether youre a leader or a worker. Perhaps you shied away from management when you were younger because you lacked confidence. But, your experience in the working world may have changed that. If you have a craving for leadership, youll find it difficult to flourish under someone elses command. But, if you prefer to get your head down and do someone elses work, management could be a bad choice. How can you use your experience? You should now be much closer to knowing the right path to go down, and may even have a few career ideas floating around. Good for you. But, now starts the hard work of breaking through and making people in your chosen field take note. If youre going down the qualification route, youve already got this covered. If not, you need to think of another way in. source Spend a little time thinking about what youll include on your new resume. We all know that your success hinders on what you include in the previous experience section. But, when changing jobs, this can be a tough issue to get around. Your new career choice may, after all, be the complete opposite of what youre doing at the moment. As such, it looks from the outside as though your experience will be no good. But, thats far from the case. All you need to do is get creative with how you present it. TopResume Free Resume Review Price: TopResume writes and analyzes more resumes and LinkedIn profiles than any other service in the world. Let our resume experts provide you with objective feedback and personalized recommendations to improve your resume and land the right job sooner. Get a free, confidential resume review from TopResume Get Your Killer Resume We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. The best thing to do would be to consider any similarities you can find. All workplaces have certain things in common. Simple things, like handling money, dealing with the public, and fronting business meetings, are worth mentioning. If youre applying for a management role, draw on situations where you had to take control. You could even talk about the close relationship you have with your current boss, and how theyve inspired you. Anything that makes you look like a plausible candidate is worth using! Whats your time frame? As you can see from the above, its easy to get caught in the process of choosing a new career. Make sure to keep your momentum going by setting yourself a strict deadline. You dont want to push yourself, but you also dont want to be considering this in two years time. Be realistic, by giving yourself a year or so. Then, work hard to get out of your job by that date! What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search