Tips for Making a Professional Change

May 1 2022 - Finding yourself to be unhappy at work is a horrible feeling but, unfortunately, one that can be all too common. It’s easy to get stuck in a job that you simply carry on with because it supports you financially and sustains the lifestyle you want. Once you’re comfortable with that, it can be hard to break away from a job. But sometimes, there are more important things in life, and another job could be out there that still financially supports you and your lifestyle but is also better aligned with your career goals and personal aspirations.

It’s important to understand that there are many solutions at hand, and becoming aware of these, can help you to feel much more positive about your future. Having this in mind can make the time you spend at your current workplace much more bearable, knowing that your predicament isn’t permanent.

Here are a few tips for those looking to make a professional career change this year.

Visualise Your Goal

First of all, in order to begin this process, you need to know where you want to be. It might be difficult to conceive what you want for your career, but answering a few simple questions can be a good place to start:

• What do you like and dislike about your current position?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
• Do you want to gain more experience or upskill in any areas?
• Do you want to take on more managerial responsibilities?
• What kind of company or industry do you want to work for?

Start mapping out the answers to these key questions first to work out exactly what it is you’re looking for. It’s also important to take some time to think about what you’d like your day-to-day schedule to look like - and understand every component you need to put in place for this to work.

The next step is to explore the skills that you currently have, and how they marry up to the skills you’d need in a new role. That way, you can walk out which skills you need to work on or any new avenues you need to explore. For example, being competent in IT might motivate you to consider a role such as an application support engineer, where can put those computer skills to good use. But you might need to upskill or gain new qualifications in other areas to reach this job level.

Save Money

Sometimes when we’re unsure of what we want to do with our careers, people consider taking a complete career break so they have the time to work out what they want to do and do any additional training. If you feel as though the next stage of your life is going to require you to take some time off, you might find it beneficial to stay in your position long enough to meet a specific financial target so that you have a bit of an economic life raft in the interim.

Before you move on from your current job, it would also be wise to look at ways to save money, such as starting a budget, spending less money at the weekend, or making use of vouchers and discount deals. These adjustments can seem difficult at first but knowing there’s a light at the end of the tunnel could motivate you to stay on your budgeting track.

Consider Studying

One of the reasons you might need to take a career break is to study for additional qualifications in order to land your dream job. If the profession you’re looking to move into, is one that requires you to have certain skills or expertise you don’t currently possess, you might need to consider studying. This immediately throws up some hurdles, the most notable of which might be the amount of time that you would need to study.

Online courses do provide a good deal of flexibility, but you could still find yourself swamped with your present professional responsibilities. With the best will in the world, it’s not worth overwhelming yourself with too many commitments. If this is the case, it might be worth looking into the training opportunities that your current employer provides, as these might equip you with the qualifications you need to apply for future roles.

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