Changing jobs is more common now than ever before. Many people will change jobs every two to three years to progress their careers, particularly in their 20s or early 30s. No job is for life anymore. Previous generations might have stayed in the same job for forty years. But what if you want to change your career completely?
This is known as a career change, which involves moving away from your current career and starting a new one. There are many reasons why a person may want to make a career change. They may want a new challenge, pursue more meaningful work that is in line with their values or have outgrown their current role. For some people, their current career may make them feel bored, frustrated, miserable or disillusioned with their work.
The thought of changing careers can be stressful, overwhelming and scary because of all the unknowns attached. I have experienced a mixture of those feelings myself. It is not easy to process these emotions and come to accept that the career you studied for might not be the right one for you.
After one year working in accounting and progressing towards my professional accountancy qualification, I felt that, in the long run, accounting was not the career for me. I did finish my training and qualified as a chartered accountant. At the time, I could not promise myself that I would not regret it if I did not finish my exams and qualify as an accountant. I know myself a lot better now compared to back then. Looking back, I would not have regretted it if I had left. The main learning from that experience was to trust myself more and listen to my intuition. I went on to work in recruitment and have since established my own coaching business. I am satisfied with the career changes I have made.
There may be a lot of questions racing through your mind when considering a career change, such as:
1) What will the work be like?
2) Do I need to do further training to gain new skills?
3) Will I need to go back to university to study?
4) What if this career change doesn’t go according to plan and is worse than my current career?
You might need to do courses and further training. Maybe you will have to go back to university to study a diploma or master's degree. Possibly, the skills you have already acquired in your current role will allow you to make this career change, and your employer may train you up. There is a chance that the new career may put you in a situation where you are worse off than in your current career, and hopefully this will not be the case.
There is always going to be a fear of the unknown when making a career change, since we can’t know for certain if it will work out. Fear is normal. Control your fear instead of letting it control you. Ask yourself this question if you are having doubts about a career change: Do you want to still be feeling the same way you are now in your current role in a year, five years, ten years or twenty years from now? For me, the answer would be ‘no’. There is more risk in playing it safe and taking no chance at all.
Some other questions you might want to consider when making a career change are:
1) What are my values?
2) What are my keys skills and strengths?
3) What are my hobbies and interests that I enjoy?
4) Will this new career financially support me in the life I want to live?
5) Can I volunteer or do an internship to gain new experience to get an opportunity for this career change?
6) How long will this career change transition take?
Have confidence in yourself when asking these questions. Be curious and explore your options. You have so much potential, and the journey to unlocking it can be seen as an exciting adventure. Don’t adopt the belief that you are stuck and unable to change your career. A career transition is a process which takes time and could take a couple of years. The key is taking small steps along the way. Do your research into the training and courses that are needed. If you do go back to university, see it as a second chance to better yourself. You might already have skills that could be transferable and make the career transition process easier. There are career coaches, guidance counsellors and job support officers out there to help you.
Artificial intelligence is also changing the world of work, and some careers and roles will evolve as new technology develops. This may create uncertainty, but it can also bring new opportunities and the need to develop different skills. It is worth considering how your existing skills and experience could transfer into roles that may look very different in the future.
It doesn’t matter what age you are, there is still time to make that change and pursue your dream. We spend over 2,000 hours a year at work, and how we feel about our work can affect other aspects of our lives, such as our relationships, health, finances and personal development. Take control of the steering wheel of your career and explore all the opportunities that are available to you.
