Moving from one career to another is a big decision to make. That decision will affect almost every part of your life, from your relationship with loved ones and others around you to your personal finance and your lifestyle. It is a decision that requires a lot of consideration and careful planning.
Planning for a better career move means considering a few important aspects and anticipating some potential challenges along the way. If you are thinking about moving to a new field and planning for a career change, these next several tips and tricks will help you make a smooth transition.
One Foot Out of the Door: The last thing you want to do is make an abrupt career change. That’s NOT how you want to venture into a new field. You will end up without an income and no secure employment to rely on, making the whole process very stressful. You can face the challenges without a problem, but the stress will eventually get to you.
What you want to do is make the transition as smooth as possible. The old one-foot-out-the-door strategy is the perfect approach to take in most situations. Keep your old job but start looking into new career opportunities in fields you are truly passionate about.
Think of this process as doing research. You are basically testing the waters to see what kind of opportunities you can get. You can go through with an interview or meet some industry experts via LinkedIn to learn more about the opportunities. Don’t worry about looking like an opportunist; when someone asks about your old job, mention how security is as important to you as following your passion.
Make the Preparations: Pursuing a career in a new field isn’t always as straightforward as pursuing a new job in the same field. There are different requirements that you need to meet in order to qualify for the new career. Sometimes, you may even have to pursue a new (higher) degree or complete certain courses to acquire new, relevant skills.
If you want to get into programming, for instance, taking courses that lead to certifications is a great start. You can do these courses while maintaining a fulltime job. You can also learn from sources like Liberiangeek.Net and pick up practical knowledge to support your new skills. Future employers will find these efforts attractive.
Follow Through with the Transition: Despite the careful planning, there will still be risks to navigate when you’re moving to a new field. To make it even worse, the counter-offer you get from your current employer can be so good that the entire concept of pursuing your passion becomes irrelevant.
At this point, you have to make your big decision. Is it time to move to a field that you really love? If the answer to this question is a YES, the risks won’t matter. You already have a new career waiting for you on the other side; risks are no more than challenges to overcome. You will be so much happier – and more successful – in the new career.