How to Prepare for a Successful Career Change

How to Prepare for a Successful Career ChangeWhen you were starting out early on in your career, you probably found yourself extremely passionate and enthusiastic about your work that you’d do everything it takes to exceed expectations. As the years go by, you realize that you want to try something else, do something bigger and you begin to dream of a major breakthrough in your career. And these things are perfectly okay.

People consider a career change for various reasons. But whether it’s because you’re unsatisfied with your current job or you simply want to venture into a brand new career path, you can turn your dream career into reality. Ready yourself for a successful, major career change by heeding the following pieces of advice!

Think about your reasons

Before taking any step to changing careers, it’s crucial that you have the right reasons for doing it. Otherwise, you may end up regretting the decision. 

Start by determining whether your reason is a problem in your workplace. If so, a career change might not be what you need. Remember that there’s a difference between changing careers and changing jobs. And if you only want to leave your current role because of job dissatisfaction or you hate your boss, chances are you’re not ready for a career transformation. Career change goes beyond switching to a different job. Wanting a change this significant should stem out of good intentions such as growth, happiness and fulfillment. 

Find a way to have an actual experience of the job

Some careers look perfect from afar but it’s actually different when you get to experience them yourself. So, before jumping into a new career, it would be a great idea to weigh your options. Make a list of the things you’d love to do and determine the one you’ve been wanting to try. There’s no guarantee that it will work. But to help you get a real sense of the kind of career you’re working towards, you may want to consider doing it as a side hustle or maybe apply as an intern.  

See how your skills fare with the career’s requirements

Changing careers requires an evaluation of your skillset and seeing whether or not you have what it takes to succeed in your new chosen path. If you’re venturing into a new field, it is important to work on the areas where you may be lacking. This will help increase your chances of succeeding in your new career path. 

Create a plan

Making your dream career a reality requires a solid plan. You need to come up with the specifics of how to realize your goals. These steps will serve as your roadmap that will get you to where you want to be. Consider your short-term and long-term goals in mind. Identify what needs to be done to achieve them, as well as any potential barriers and roadblocks so you can plan ahead and establish a clear direction. 

A successful career change isn’t something that happens overnight. As long as you have the right reasons and intentions, and you’re willing to work on whatever is required, your dream career is just within your grasp!

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Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.