Whether your professional goals have changed, you’re recently laid off or you simply want a change, a career change can be very rewarding.

It can also be a huge challenge. It isn’t always easy to do a 180° change in life even when it is something you want to do. You’ll have to explore options and understand how to follow through on whatever choice you make for yourself.

The truth is, this is a great time to be thinking about a career change. As the economy changes, those that do best are the ones who are able to adapt to the changing landscape.

In this article, I will guide you through some of the steps necessary to successfully change your career.

1 - Education

If you already have a degree in the field where you want to change careers, then congratulations as you will have a much easier time.

Others may need to go back to school. Either for some certifications, or for a completely different degree.

To make sure it is worth it to go back to school, you have to make sure the job you are thinking about is in demand. For instance, accounting is a profession that is always in demand so if you want to get into that field, then you’re going to get a good return on your investment by going back to school.

If you are already working and have limited time, then going to an online college like Maryville University is a good way to get the degree you need and easily get the job.

2 - Follow a passion

This may work for you or may work against you. Sometimes your passion is not something that will put you in an in demand job. For instance, if your passion is woodcarving, then you may struggle to find work.

If your passion is helping others, then a career in nursing is a great idea as there is a lot of demand and not enough people becoming a nurse.

Make sure to do your research well before you commit to looking for a job where your passion lies. Look at the possibilities with no emotion attached. Your passion may not directly be a good idea for a career, but there could be some overlap with a career that has some influence with your passion.

An example would be if you are an avid runner. How could you make a career out of that? You could become a physical trainer. Or you could even go to school for design and work for a shoe brand as a designer.

3 - Consider a different job in the same field

Sometimes it may just be certain aspects of the job that you don’t like. For instance, if you are in finance, there are probably lots of different careers within that field that would be a better fit than the one you are in currently.

The same if you get laid off. Maybe you were in finance and got laid off so finding the same job would be difficult. You can become an accountant with some specializations instead as there is some overlap there.

You may need to get new qualifications for other jobs but you’re already halfway there skill wise so it makes sense to stick with the same field.

4 - Become a consultant

One way to change careers is to become a consultant and work for yourself. You have expertise in your field. You know what it takes to be successful so you can now go out and share that expertise with clients that will pay for that information.

Let’s go back to the accountant example. Suppose you were an accountant and you didn’t like sitting in your office all day. Maybe you like being a bit more social. You can go and consult with companies about how to streamline their accounting processes, for example.

5 - Find a mentor

When you are trying to change careers you may need a helping hand. Reach out to some people that are in your field of choice that can help you understand the steps necessary to take to ease into a new career as painlessly as possible.

If you network properly, you may even make connections with people that can help you find a job in their company.

Conclusion 

Many people report that when they find a new career that they have a new lease on life. They are more fulfilled and enjoy going to work more. Even when the pay is less than what they were making before.

If you think it’s time to make a change then hopefully these tips have helped.