Finding a new career

How do I find a new career?

Not everyone knows what career they want to pursue. A lot of people fall into something for a few years, get bored and then realise that the career isn’t for them. But finding a new career is tricky, just because you don’t love what you’re doing at the moment doesn’t mean you know exactly what you want to do next.

Consider your career options

It’s not unusual for people to be unsure about what they want to do with their lives. And that’s okay. It’s a major life decision so you’ll need to take some time researching and weighing up your options. If you hate your job, you might feel an urgent need to do something about it, but you’ll need to be patient. So before you storm out check out our article ‘I hate my job’ for some tips on how to make your current job more bearable. At least until you find a new one.

Finding a new career you’ll enjoy

There are plenty of careers available that aren’t office based. So that’s a good start. But it might be helpful to narrow it down even more by thinking about what type of environment you’d like to work in. For example, would you like to work in a classroom, or outside? In the UK or abroad? 

Another question to ask is are you looking for a promotion in the company you work for now? If that’s the case, you might want to talk things through with your superior. Find out if there are any openings you could apply for. For more support on this, check out our tips for how to get promoted here.

Keep in mind that trying to find a new career can take a while. You don’t have to decide on a specific career straight away. Start by mapping out the rough direction you want to take. Think about your interests and your personal strengths, and hopefully things’ll flow from there. If you want more support, you can click here for our article on changing careers.

Get advice for trying to find a new career from people you know

It might help to talk to various people about their jobs and careers so you can build up a picture of what’s out there. If anything peaks your interest, you could pursue a career in that sector. Find out if you can shadow them at work for a day to get some experience of the industry. Additionally, you can take a look at our work and study resources. They include real-life stories and information about how to get started in certain careers which might be able to help you.

Finding a career that suits your personality

If after reading all this you still feel really stuck, there are other options that you can try. For example, you could try filling out an employment personality questionnaire. These are available from local careers centres, schools and colleges. Prospects (a UK-based careers service) also have a really helpful online questionnaire which can help you figure things out.

If the questionnaire sparks something in you, you’ll need to think about next steps. This includes what skills you need for a particular job. You might have to enrol on a course, find work experience, or offer to volunteer in that sector in order to gain experience in the industry. We’d recommend regularly checking social media, local newspapers and national newspapers for any opportunities that sound interesting.

It might also be worth speaking to an organisation like learndirect. You can call the helpline on 0800 100 900. An advisor there will be able to talk you through possible careers and suggest how to go about starting out.

Stuck finding a new career? Why not ask the community on our discussion boards for advice? You’ll find plenty of people with their own stories and tips for finding the right job.