#1 Find out what you are passionate about.
It often takes more of you to change careers than what was required when you first chose your career path. Therefore, it is important that you make up your mind what you are really passionate about. Think of something you have done that really lit the fire and the motivation. It may be that this is the direction you need to seek your new career.
#2 Keep track of your finances.
The biggest obstacle for most people when they have to make a career change is the economy. You are probably already well set with a good income and fixed installments to be paid. A career change may be followed by a period of education on SU and this may in turn be be followed by a period in which you have to settle for low starting salary. It can therefore be a good idea to save up over a period of time and have a good idea of what your finances will look like before you make the change.
#3 Find out what you can build on.
It’s a really good idea to base your career change on experiences you already have. It can be experience with specific tasks from your job, or it can be experience from volunteer work you have done. If you cannot find these experiences in your previous career, you may be able to get the experience and competencies that can bring you in a different direction through volunteer work.
#4 Thematize your career change.
If you are 50 years old and discovers that your dream us to become a professional football player, it may well be that you are passionate about it, think you have control of your finances, and you were once the top scorer on your local little league team when you where a child. Yet the chances of you succeeding with your career change are probably still quite small. However, you can possibly thematize your career change. That is, you can look at all the opportunities that are for a new career or job around the football world. Coach, team leader, materials manager, greens keeper, physiotherapist, masseur, agent, mental trainer…, all of a sudden the possibilities become endless for a career in the world you are passionate about.
#5 It’s never wasted.
Should you end up returning to your original career, the course of a career change will in no way be wasted. You will find that the time you have spent uncovering your preferences, extra training and learning new skills can give you new opportunities that you have not previously been aware of. Opportunities that can give you the motivation and job satisfaction back.
Bonus tip: Bring your base with your.
If you have a partner and perhaps children, it is important that you all agree on the decision. A career change affects the whole family and if you meet resistance from your base, it can become very difficult to complete a successful career change.
Good luck with your career change. There are many who have successfully changed careers, so why should not you also be able to…?