Considering A Career Switch? Start Here.
and when it comes to life, the route you've been using thus far ain't working right?
take the scenic
-jadakiss, bring you down
There's no shame in switching careers.
You're 17 years old and sitting in your guidance counselors office (if you're lucky). While staring you right in the eye, they ask you what you what you see yourself doing in the future. You take a deep breath and answer with the full understanding that what you say now is gospel. Whichever occupation you say will inform the trajectory of the rest of your life. You do so anyway. Maybe you mean it. Maybe you know exactly what you're talking about and are ready to take on the world. You've done your research and are eager to get started.
Fast forward a few years. It's your junior year of college and your course load is significantly more reflective of your chosen field. This summer you'll be eligible for more interesting positions and internships and are looking forward to doing more than answering phones and praying not to mess up your bosses lunch order. You still won't be very high on the food chain but you're not at the bottom of it either and it feels good.
You're coming up on year 3 in this position and have gotten a raise and a few bonuses but you know what? Climbing up the ladder at this company no longer seems like a dream come true, and as a matter of fact, you're beginning to wonder if you even want to be this anymore.
Maybe you know exactly what you'd rather be doing and now is the time to take the leap. Or perhaps you're not as sure. All you know is that this ain't it and you need to figure out what is. Here are some tips on what to do if you look up and realize that the teenager you trusted to make a major decision for your life might have not considered everything.
1. Make a list of things you like to do.
I'm not saying that you should make a career of watching Lifetime movies but I'm saying that this exercise will help you see in black and white precisely what your interests are.
2. Review your list. Highlight the things you could actually do for money.
Those weekends you spent with grandma baking can easily lead to a new career as a pastry chef.
3. From there, do your research.
Where Google is your best friend, "YouTube University " is my favorite place to collect information. I find it helps to see a person actually doing the thing you're interested in.
4. Find out what you need to do to be seen as competitive.
Do you need additional schooling? Certifications? The answers to these questions are necessary to determine if you have the mental and financial bandwidth to take on something new.
Steps 1-4 will help jump-start the process of finding the career that best for you. It's important to remember its totally okay that you didn't have this all figured out. In every other facet of life, not only do we tell ourselves that it's alright to shop around, we also have the world around us telling us that it's ill advised to go with the first thing that comes your way, especially if it doesn't feel right. Your career should be no different.