Our working career usually spans 40+ years including part-time and full-time positions. During the early stages of our career, we start to make inroads into the industry/position that we will ultimately spend most of our working lives in, which is determined by our gained practical and academic experience guiding us there. If you want to change direction here are a few important points to consider.
Career Identification:
Have a general if not specific idea of what it is you would like to do. Take the time to sit down and mull over ideas and identify what career paths/occupations are of interest to you and why. If you cannot make the decision on your own, organise a visit to a reputable career guidance advocate and seek clarity this way.
Upskilling Needs Patience:
When you have identified which occupation you would like to do, it is then time to assess your current ability and skill set versus the skill set required to enable you work in this profession. You may need to upskill or re-skill, you may need to do voluntary work, a part time course or go to college full time. This may take a considerable amount of time to achieve so be patient and expect anywhere from two years to five years for this change to happen.
It will take Resources:
This will be an expensive and difficult time if you have to go back to college as fees for a mature student are not cheap. Even if your career change does not involve a monitory investment, it may involve a time investment which can impact your personal life. During this period, you should have a financial cushion to fall back on and a supportive team.
Support:
Communicate to your family and close friends that you are changing career, this is really important as your transition will be demanding, and their support will be required at some point.
The one thing to remember in changing career is, it’s worth it. If you are in a profession that you don’t like or find the demand for your current skill set in today’s employment market is falling, then it is both necessary and rewarding to do something about it and it is within you to make this happen. If you don’t then what’s the alternative?