Changing career

Heading in the wrong job direction? Changing career is tough, but if you hate your job it may feel like the only choice.

Smell ya later...

It’s so easy to get sucked down a career waterslide without realising. You nab a job when you’re younger and desperate for cash and then suddenly BAM, you’ve been promoted and people take you seriously and you’re earning OK money and and and… you’re miserable.

Changing career isn’t easy, but it is possible. Here’s what to think about.

What do you want to do as a career instead?

If you really hate your job ANY career may seem like the answer, but it’s important not to rush into something. This is a big decision; give it the time it deserves. Ask yourself some questions to narrow down your perfect job specifications.

• What sort of career would make me happy? What do I want it to include? What would suit my personality and skills? What do I like about my existing career?
• But then also – what don’t I want my new career to include? What do I hate about my existing job that I really don’t want replicated?

Research your new career choice

It’s a big step, so you want to make sure it’s the right one. Here are some things to consider:

• What qualifications will you need? Will you have to re-train?
• What’s the market like for that particular career? Are you confident you’ll be able to find a job in it?
• What does it pay? If it’s significantly less than your current career, will you be able to deal with the reality of that?
• Talk to people in the industry. Making contacts is much easier with the internet. Follow people whose job you want on Twitter or LinkedIn. Then maybe politely message them to ask what their job’s like.

Start getting work experience

To be ultra-certain you’re jumping onto the right stepping stone, it’s worth getting work experience in your chosen field. Not only will this look good on your new CV, but it’ll expose you to the realities of your new career. But how can you get experience? Especially around a full-time job or in a competitive industry?

• If you’re really serious, take a week’s annual leave to do a placement. Prepare in advance though. In competitive fields like media, you usually have to book work experience slots months in advance.
• You don’t have to give up your job and work for free. Why not volunteer for a charity that’s involved with your chosen field? Want to be a DJ? You could try the local hospital radio. Fancy social work? Volunteer to mentor a young person in your area.
• Look to see if any qualifications you’re planning to do include work experience placements as part of the course. This is a great way of making contacts alongside your study.

How to financially support yourself during a career change

If you’ve started to climb the ladder, it can be quite a hit financially to start back on rung one. Planning how you’ll afford to live is important and needs a strategy. There are a few options though:

• Spend an extra year or six months in your current job and save like mad for money to live off in your transition phase.
• Banks can usually give you a career development loan to cover the costs of courses and training. You can borrow up to £10,000 and they’re offered at a reduced interest rate.
• Maybe cut your current job down to part-time, and get work experience/study on your other spare two days a week. This way you’ll be keeping some money coming in.