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So Youre Thinking of Changing Careers
"You don't have to take life the way it comes to you. By converting your dreams into goals, and your goals into plans, you can design your life to come to you the way you want it. You can live your life on purpose, instead of by chance. ~ Whatever it takes" - The Goal How many careers would you say you have had to date? One, two, more? Our parent's generation seldom considered changing careers. The career model for their time was to join a company, work your way up with the help of promotions and retire with a great pension. At the retirement party they would hopefully give you a gold watch and a party and you would be on your way. Changing careers was not even on the radar screen for most professionals. Today it's seen as a potential issue if a professional has not changed careers at least once. By changed careers I mean moving from one field to another or moving to different positions within a field. For instance, programmers may transition to technical leads and technical leads to project managers or system architects. This is a fairly standard practice in the developer track of Information Technology but should be a planned transition if it is to be a successful one. Quite often however, when considering a career change the responsibilities of the new position are an unknown quantity. There are several methods currently used by corporations that enable employees to "try on" a position before making the career change. For example, you can "shadow" someone who works in the field you wish to move to thus enabling you to see what a typical day or week is like in that job. Sometimes you find on closer inspection that the job is nothing like you thought or the requirements are such that further education or longer work hours are required. Job shadowing allows you to experience advance what the job is really like without having to give up your current position. Indeed, this style of "checking out" a career first is a good idea if you are not quite sure which position is right for you. Sometimes additional training is required for the career move and it behooves the person making the change to do a thorough investigation prior to executing the investment of time and money. Your company may be prepared to pay for your training since your improved skills will benefit you both. In order for the company to remain competitive in the marketplace they also need staff with up to date skills. Similarly, benefits like additional training cuts down on attrition, which can be very costly. Another alternative is to seek out a mentor who already works in the field of interest, and spark a conversation to determine the personality characteristics required for the position. For example, a developer who is considering moving to call center work may find that interaction with the public in a customer service role is not compatible with their personality. Whereas a continued role in the development area, moving to architect of a software module for instance more naturally suits their personality and style of working. Each individual must find their own motivation and determine whether the desire to change careers is based on sound reasoning. Among other things, you need to verify whether you are in the wrong career or if the motivation to change careers is based solely on monetary compensation or because something is amiss in your personal life. Prior to executing a career change I suggest that you put together a list of your career expectations. For instance, if you could have any job you want, what would it be? Ask yourself these questions: - What would it provide you with? Create a list of things you really enjoy about your current career. If you have difficulty filling the list, it may indeed be time for a career change. Put together a list of things you would like to do where your needs are currently unmet in your current position. Look around your present company to see what position could provide you with more job satisfaction. Then go through the process again to see if the job is what you think it is. I am reminded of the attorney who worked hard to pass the bar exam, worked his butt off to make partner, then one day found himself asking "is that all there is?" And, "why am I so unhappy with this work?" Thousands of dollars later, he and his counselor realized that he was an attorney because all the men in his family had been attorneys. What he really wanted to do, was work with children. He made a drastic career change, began working with children, and found that he was much happier. While his income was not at the same level as previously, he experienced a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. Career change can be a daunting and yet very rewarding process. Rewarding because you are challenged and excited about learning and using new skills and abilities. Daunting because you may have to begin at an entry-level position and have to work your way back to your present level of expertise. I remember once when a new hardware platform entered the marketplace and I wanted to get my hands on that system more that anything. I took a 25% pay cut to get on the new system and learn it, but a year later, I had almost doubled my salary. I took the 25% cut in pay because the skills required for the new system were scarce and the market was paying premium wages for the new skills. One thing's for sure, if you want to change careers, you must make a plan and work it. Like anything else, you will need to set goals, do your research and follow the steps to achievement of your goals. You must: - Plan your mission. What career do you wish to enter or move to? Remember that preparation always precedes success. Failure to plan is planning to fail. According to Tom Peters, today's employee will go through at least 3 career changes in their lifetime. Perhaps now is the time for one of your career changes. One avenue might be, when a new project is being launched, make sure you get on the team. In today's world changes occur rapidly and in order for those you to remain successful you must constantly upgrade your skills and bring them in line with the new technology and this new economy. In summary, to benefit from a successful career change, your have to set goals, measure your progress towards those goals, make adjustments as necessary, and work your plan, to achieve a smooth transition to your new career. To schedule a complementary 30 minute career change consultation, call 312-953-2126 or use the contact form at this link. Yvonne F. Brown is an internationally recognized trainer, speaker, author, personal motivation, inspiration, and empowerment expert. Author of "Self Creation: 10 Powerful Principles for Changing Your Life" Yvonne helps people to eliminate self-sabotage, stop self-limiting beliefs and reach their highest potential. She teaches how to accelerate personal performance and career fulfillment for workgroups and individuals everywhere. Her new book "Ethics, Choice and Leadership" will be available later this year. To learn more visit her website JAD Communications International and subscribe to the Pathways to Abounding Inspirations newsletter.
MORE RESOURCES: Careers at Givaudan Givaudan Meet Native American Veterans where they live with a VA career VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Careers | Career Opportunities West Virginia University I moved to Alaska after college for a job. I lost all my friends because I put my career first. Business Insider Jobs City of Rochester (.gov) Careers at TWU Texas Woman's University 15 Companies Offering Health Insurance to Part-Time Workers U.S News & World Report Money Careers Catholic University Communications Careers at CMS CMS Recruitment St John's University News Careers at FEMA FEMA Physicians are the nation’s top earners – a slideshow Medical Economics Jobs and Training at FDA FDA.gov Careers at VA VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Jobs at Liberty University Liberty News Job Seekers University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign City of Tampa Careers City of Tampa Healthcare Jobs at Novant Health | Novant Health Novant Health Careers BASF Careers at University of Missouri Health Care | University of Missouri Health Care jobs University of Missouri Health Care Nursing jobs VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Career Opportunities UMHB Jobs at BCA Minnesota Department of Public Safety Careers | Human Resources The Seattle U Newsroom - News, stories and more Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on October jobs report US Department of Labor Careers at Union | Human Resources Union College Careers Washington State University Employment Services American Mathematical Society Recruiters urge candidates to use AI to apply for jobs Financial Times Working for ICE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Newsroom US employers added just 12,000 jobs last month as hurricanes and strikes sharply reduce payrolls The Associated Press October 2024 jobs report: How two major hurricanes, labor strike might affect the numbers - NBC News UF Health Careers UF Health - University of Florida Health Work for Us (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service Careers at Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University Job Search Results UnitedHealth Group UN COMMON CAREERS VCU Health Career Opportunities Gilead Sciences Employment | Department of Corrections Governor Tom Wolf Careers S&P Global Careers Medline Reservists (On-Call) FEMA Job Opportunities Bellevue School District How to Apply FEMA Work at Syracuse University Syracuse University Careers Micron Careers at Discovery Education Discovery Education Jobs report on eve of election will be among the most muddled in years The Associated Press Join our team FHI 360 Careers KPMG Career Development PRSA Careers Boys & Girls Clubs of America Careers The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation Careers at Air Liquide Air Liquide Internship Opportunities | Careers Boston Consulting Group What Trump's election victory means for job seekers Business Insider Search & apply for jobs Boehringer Ingelheim Careers at Jacobs Jacobs Careers in A&O Shearman Work At Chess.com Chess.com Students and graduates JPMorgan Chase Careers Oregon WildBlog Career Paths FEMA Green Jobs King County Highest-Paying Engineering Careers in 2024 University of North Dakota The 16 Best Jobs for Creative & Restless ADHD Brains ADDitude magazine The Best Jobs in America in 2024 U.S News & World Report Money Mental health at work World Health Organization The 10 jobs that landed the biggest pay rises in financial year 2024 The Australian Financial Review 20 Careers With the Most Job Security Right Now U.S News & World Report Money Benefits for the whole you Accenture Jobs and careers | Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs Revised figures show annual U.S. job growth was much lower than previously reported Los Angeles Times Why Employees Quit HBR.org Daily JobFeed NSW Department of Education |
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