*Collaborative post.

While it is an unstable and uncertain time economically, and in the world generally at this moment in time, if you are currently unhappy in your job and professional life, you shouldn’t let this stand in the way of a career change.

No matter what you might think, and no matter what stage you are at in your life, whether that be twenty-five or forty-five, it is never too late to shake things up professionally. And if you need proof and motivation, look at all the success stories out there of both men and women who have found great success in life thanks to a change in career. A great example is JK Rowling, who famously started writing Harry Potter on a napkin in a cafe after being turned down by 12 publishers.

While it most definitely can be scary and overwhelming, a change like this could make your life better in a way that you might not even be able to imagine right now, and if the recent pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is too short to not go after what you want. Here are three tips to get you started down the path to a career change.

Image credit

Make sure you actually want a career change

When people hate their jobs and are dissatisfied, more often than not, it is the people that they work with, as well as the environment, that contributes to unhappiness rather than the actual field itself. Before you go off making any rash and drastic life decisions, really take the time to think about whether you actually want to change your entire career or just the job you are in right now – maybe you are down the right path, but simply in the wrong job. Even if you hate the job, maybe the industry is still a good fit and one that would interest you if you maybe had a slightly different position that was a better fit. Take the time and do some research into what other positions are out there that link to your current field and consider them first. 

Upskill 

With all of us spending more time at home, now is the perfect time to make use of any extra time that you have and invest it in yourself by taking up less-traditional ways of gaining experience to make the significant career change you want. Understand yourself, and get familiar with, your new chosen field, and do some research first. Look up job boards, like this pediatrics career search site, and look at what experience and skills are needed to be considered. Once you are armed with knowledge on the skills and qualifications that are required, you can look up online courses, and even degrees, that you can do either full time or in your spare time on evenings and weekends. Consider Rasmussen University if you’re thinking about an online degree program. They offer a wide range of affordable yet high-quality degrees for you to choose from. Not only do you get to gain more skills and qualifications, guaranteeing that you will be seen as a more desirable candidate, but it also gives you a chance to make sure you like the career path that you are choosing to go down and make sure you still want to follow it. Even if you don’t require any official qualifications, it never hurts to upskill to broaden your opportunities. 

Take care of your finances 

With any big life change, it’s essential to make sure that you are financially healthy first to ensure that you are ready for the change. If you are going to be starting a bit further down the ladder than your current position, you will need to accept that you will need to make some financial sacrifices, at least for now, and will need to give yourself time to create a financial plan and budget to be able to adapt to your new earnings. Learn about the salary structure and expectations of your new career as well, and what you can realistically expect to earn. Look at pay scales on the internet, do research and talk to people who are already in the field. Either way, you will need a very clear picture of both, and if finance isn’t your strongest area of expertise you can always talk to a professional for advice to get your money back on track, and of your mind, to allow you to focus on making the giant leap.