A Guide to Changing Your Career: What You Need to Know

Changing your career is a big step, which is why it’s so important that you make sure you are properly prepared for it. 

This isn’t something you should be doing on a whim, especially if you are older and have a family and other responsibilities to think about. That doesn’t mean you should stay in the same career forever, but it does mean that there are a few things you should know before changing your career. Luckily, we’re here to discuss a few of those things. 

What career path do you want to follow?

It’s not enough to know that you’re unhappy with your current career – you also need to know which career path you actually want to follow. 

There are a few things that determine this. Of course, your qualifications may play a role. Then there’s the fact that certain personality types have some strengths that may make them more suitable for some careers than others, so understanding your personality type can also help you with this decision. For example, you might want to know what is an INTJ personality if that’s your personality type, so that you can figure out which careers you would excel in. 

Why do you want to change your career?

If you’re making a big step like changing your entire career, you need to understand why. Do you simply not enjoy your job? Are you looking for more money? 

Knowing your motivations for wanting a career change can help you determine if it’s the right move for you. For example, if you enjoy your job but hate your work environment, you might simply need to do the same job for another company instead of upending your career. 

If you are unhappy with what you are doing, however, you may want to consider a career change, since it’s important to love your job. 

What about your finances?

In an ideal world, you would be able to change careers whenever you want to, based solely on how you feel about your current career. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for most people. You need to think about how your finances will be affected by a career change, especially if you will be unemployed for a while, or if your new salary will be much lower than what you earned before. You might even need to consider the qualifications needed. Is this something you need to fund yourself? If you’re considering becoming a personal trainer, for example, you might need to enroll in a first aid course or get a fitness trainer qualification to ensure you have the skills needed to meet the basic requirements of the job. 

Proper money management can give you a better indication of whether your finances will survive your career change or not. 

Is the timing right?

Even if you know you want to change your career, you need to figure out whether now is a good time to do it, or whether you should take a few months to figure your finances out before you make the leap.

Also keep in mind that if you are about to be a new parent or you are going through another big change, a career change at this point might not be the smartest move. This doesn’t mean you can’t do it, but it might be better to wait until things have calmed down a bit so that you can dedicate the time and energy needed for your new career.