How many times in the past have you “thought” about changing careers?  And how many times have you just sighed and decided to stuff the idea away in your mental file folder labeled “To do in the Future”?  I know, it’s just too overwhelming and besides, there’s work to be done right now and you just don’t have time for this kind of soul searching contemplation. 

Want to know how to change careers?

It doesn’t have to be so difficult, and you can break this “project” (the project is YOU), down into a few easy steps that can be one at a time, at your own pace, and feel like you are on your way to really making progress on figuring out what the change would look like and how to determine if it could be a good career fit for you.

Here are 5 easy steps for changing careers:

1)    Start with “Who You Are” – a process of self-examination and discovery.  You may think you know yourself inside and out because, who would know you better than you?!  But the person you know best is the “adult you”.  There is so much more richness to discover when you look back in your past in detail using various reconnaissance tools, assessments, and other exercises. Enjoy being Sherlock Holmes in this discovery puzzle.

2)    What are my innate strengths? Look back on times in your life, as a child or in your adult years, and remember the situations when you felt you were really in your “zone”, where everything flowed and you enjoyed the activity, were good at it, and proud of it too.  See if you feel passionate about any of these experiences. That’s a clue for changing careers!

3)    Ask yourself “what matters?” in your work – If you want to know how to change careers you’re going to need to know what’s important to you: where, what, how, colleagues, income, culture, values, relationships, ethics, roles.  For example, do you see yourself working in a bustling downtown with creative colleagues in a free-form, collaborative environment,  or are you drawn to being “on the road”, calling on clients, reporting back to your manager in a defined, hierarchical top-down structure?

4)    Decide how you want to apply yourself strategically – recycling your transferrable skills in a new field/industry; being high risk with a change in both your industry and your role; or becoming an entrepreneur by buying a business, starting a new one, or opening a franchise. When changing careers these are three major areas of choice to consider.

5)    Summarize what you’ve discovered from this process.  By now you will have developed some clear insights.  If you feel stuck on seeing the larger, strategic picture from these insights, then hire a career specialist, coach, counselor, or mentor to help you sort it out.  Then create an action plan to move into the next phase: Job creation and the search – where the rubber meets the road!

Have you successfully changed careers before? Perhaps you’re looking to make a career change? Lost of people reading want to know how to change careers so share your thoughts etc. in the comment section below!

About the author: Laura Schlafly is a Career Coach, Speaker, and “Creative Catalyst for Career Change”. She Helps mid-life professionals find meaningful work with Passion, Purpose and a Paycheck.  www.CareerChoicesWithLaura.com/tag/resource/

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