We all dream, don’t we? Maybe of winning the lottery, of a new start, and, for many of us, for changing careers.
There are always reasons why we don’t: fear of change, perhaps not actually buying a lottery ticket and, in the case of career change, because it takes us outside of our comfort zone.
This is understandable of course, particularly as we get older and more experienced. We’ll probably gain a mortgage (or higher rent), maybe a family, maybe some career status and a change of career puts a lot of that at risk. But does it need to?
Often, that risk is like much other risk in life: it is normal and, with careful planning, can be managed.
Change management is something we are all now more comfortable with in business, yet we seem to have a more ad-hoc approach to using the same principle to deal with our careers.
I’m not actually suggesting you want a fully fledged business plan for managing your career, but you probably do want to make the effort of a plan, particularly if you want to change career. This can be as simple or as complex as you like, but simple, in nearly all cases, is better.
The complexity of your plan depends mostly on how much of a change you anticipate. For instance, if you’re currently a software tester and want to be a medical Doctor, well, things are going to be a bit more difficult. However, if you’re a software tester and want to be a developer, I think the going will be easier.
First things first, if you want to change career, you need to ask yourself some questions:
- Do you actually know at this point what you want to do? It seems too basic a question, but, in order to make changes you need to have a clear idea of what that change is!
- Have you thought it through? You really do need to think of the implications of what you want to do. Simple things like, will you take a salary drop? Will there be some time off for college?
- Have you talked it through? Unless you live with your parents or by yourself, the change is going to involve other people, speak to them; just announcing it one day might not be the best move.
- Have you done some kind of calculation on if this will work for you financially? If it’s an onwards and upwards move, then this might not apply, but if you are thinking of totally changing career, it is likely you might have to settle for less salary initially. Can you afford to do this? If a layoff is imminent, can you afford not to?
- Have you taken any kind of advice? There are often free careers advice and counselling services available. If there are, use them. A fresh outside perspective can sometimes help.
- Have you undertaken any kind of training? If you are moving to something so new you are not yet sure if you can do it, it might be wise to undertake some training in your chosen area (or it may even be compulsory if it is a licensed trade), sometimes this can be available free of charge or discounted; especially if you are under threat of redundancy.
- Do you know WHY you are making the move? The grass is actually rarely greener on the other side. So make sure you are going to change for the right reasons.
- Could this be better achieved as a self-employed person or an employee? This can make a big difference into the help that is available to you too. And to the risks.
- Could you try it part-time (as a side-line) first? This really could make the transition easier, assuming your main current career allows this (both contractually and time-wise).
Changing career is not a defeat, but an acknowledgement that you want to move on. Plan for it, and you’ll be prepared. Like most things in life, the better the planning: the better it will go.
Image Creidt: Change? by SomeDriftwood on flickr. Used under creative commons.
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