Job Seeker asked:


I began a new hobby last December that I absolutely love and would like to turn into a career. I have no formal training in photography, but would consider going back to school to get another degree. I already have a B.A. in Psychology. I know that very, very few photographers get rich or become famous. I just want to love what I do and earn enough to make a living for one person.

Cliff

Over the last few years through my work in adult education I have met more and more peole who have decided on a radical career change. And far from the cliché of the mid-life crisis, we find that people are making this decision for many different reasons and may be aged anywhere between 25 and 60 years of age, or older.

People may decide to change careers because:

- they are becoming disillusioned with their current profession or career

- they have lost interest in their current role

- they feel they have gone as far as they are able in their current role

- they are seeking a better life-work balance

- they would like to earn a living out of something they love doing, perhaps currently a hobby.

Today, career change is becoming the norm rather than the exception, with many studies showing that the average person will change careers (not just jobs) several times over the course of their working life.

If you are considering a career change, you may find the following steps useful as you navigate your way through the process.

Step 1: Take some time to rediscover yourself. If your main reason for considering a career change is dissatisfaction with your current situation, it’s important to step back and assess your situation objectively. What it is about the situation that is really causing the problem – the job, the boss, the company, the profession itself? Are there any aspects of your current role that you still enjoy? These can give you a clue about which direction to take next. It may be that factors outside work are causing the problem – perhaps you don’t have enough time with your family, or to follow your other interests. Sometimes when you have completed this step you will realise that a drastic career change is not the answer. Switching to flexible or part-time working may give you the freedom you need to create a better work-life balance. Shifting to a different area of your profession may reinvigorate your interest and enthusiasm.

Step 2: Explore alternatives. If you decide that a career change really is what you need, the next stage is to explore your interests and enthusiasms in more depth. What really gets you firing on all cylinders? Explore possible careers around your interests. You can find useful career information on the Learndirect website – this is an independent, government funded website offering a range of resources, including career advice and over 700 job profiles. It also includes advice on the training required for each career.

Step 3: Assess your current skills and experience. Even if you are planning to move into a very different career area, you may be surprised at how many of your current skills and experiences are relevant. Make the most of these as they can provide a strong foundation for your career change. Sometimes current skills can provide a stepping stone into a new career area. Louise worked in a big marketing agency and had decided to change careers completely, building on her keen interest in gardening, she planned to start her own landscaping company. She realised that retraining was essential. Her first step was a new job as marketing officer of a large landscaping and design company. This gave her the opportunity to learn more about the industry while completing her horticultural training on a part-time basis.

Step 4: Obtain further training. Often career change will require some retraining or updating of current skills. It may be possible to obtain funding for some of your training from your current employer, especially if your current career shares some similarities with the new one. There are many options available that allow you to train and work full-time as well. These include distance learning courses as well as part-time college or university courses. Introductory courses are a good way to test the water and ensure you really have made the right career choice. Sometimes a subject that you love as a hobby can lose it’s lustre when it becomes a career and you have to earn living from it.

Step 5: Work experience. Another way of finding out more about your chosen career is to obtain a part-time job or volunteer in your new area. This is a good way of learning more about the industry and making contacts, as well as helping to confirm that this really is the right choice for you.

Step 6: Be open-minded. Flexibility is important. Starting in a new career often means starting from the bottom of the ladder again. You will almost certainly need to take a salary cut as well as a cut in your status at work. You may also need to relocate. Set clear goals and be prepared for the odd setback. Think of it this way, if you were having a new kitchen fitted you would expect a bit of mess and disruption, it’s an inevitable part of the process, and the same is true when making life changes too. But however well-prepared you are, such drastic change can be tough at times. It’s important to have support network in place – whether a mentor in your new workplace or supportive friends or loved ones. Also keep in mind a clear vision of your long-term goals, it will help you to stay focused through the difficult spells.



By: Linda Pollitt

About the Author:

Robin

There are times when circumstances at your workplace prompt you to go in for a career change. Your frustration could arise from factors like working hours, the pay packet, your boss, sometimes even an annoying colleague. Now career transition is always your decision in the end, but sometimes you need to think things over and not jump the gun. Let us have look at some such situations.

A new supervisor makes many people rethink their career plans. The reason is not hard to find. A new boss often feels that they should quickly establish their authority over the human resources at their disposal. This makes them a bit difficult at the outset. Just hold off the urge to quit right away. Give it some time. You might be surprised to find your new boss displaying milder, even friendlier aspects of their personality as time goes by.

A common reason for going into a job search mode is the annoying co-worker. They may or may not be the person sitting at the next desk, but they have the habit of getting under your skin. It is unfortunate if the dislike of a colleague is strong enough to get you looking for recruitment services.

Under normal circumstances no one should make you quit your job, especially if someone else rather than yourself is in the wrong. Naturally if a fellow worker threatens your safety you need to take immediate action. But the first step should always be contacting higher ups and airing your grievances rather than running off to the recruitment agencies.

A poor appraisal of your efforts at work may cause you to want to quit your job. It might seem to you that you have been unfairly assessed. You might feel embarrassed and frustrated, even unwanted by the organization. The thing to remember here is that it can happen to the smartest and most hardworking of employees. You cannot be perfect all the time. It is important to take this setback to your career plans with a positive frame of mind. Let it be a wake up call to refocus on your workplace actions so that your efforts contribute to the achievement of organizational goals. Instead of resigning, the way forward should be to try for a better appraisal next time.

Being denied the promotion you believe you deserved can sometimes be hard to take, leading you to consider career development elsewhere. Quitting immediately is not the solution, though. A good number of factors come into play when the matter of promotion crops up. Try to figure out what went against you. Was there a more qualified colleague? Did a more experienced or senior employee get promoted instead of you?

You can also treat this as an opportunity to set goals for yourself, fine-tune your efforts at the workplace, and improve your skill set. If in spite of this you find yourself being repeatedly passed up for promotions that you deserve, then it’s time to seek recruitment advice and look for career advancement somewhere else.

In all the situations mentioned above, you might feel a strong impulse to quit your job immediately. Apart from extenuating circumstances, such as sexual harassment in your workplace or other dangerous situations, you would be better off thinking it over calmly and objectively before you make your decision.



By: James Utterson

About the Author:

Ivan

The thought of changing careers will cross everyone’s mind at some point in time. Yet, not many think that they, confidently, can take that step. While there are many reasons that can be attributed to this noticeable phenomenon, we, for the moment, will confine ourselves to the major reason – lack of confidence.

Lack Of Confidence – A Major Drawback To Successful Career Change

It is not unusual to desire a change in career. However, proper & detailed planning and preparation is essential for a successful change in career. Many times, procrastinating over the matter not just develops the redundancy factor but also creates a sort of fear and hindrance.

10 Steps To A Successful Career Change

Here are the ten steps to changing your career successfully:

1. Preparing To Change: Gather information about your target organizations, job profile, etc. Get additional training and certifications as needed. Get your resume done professionally; highlighting areas to which you can contribute to and your past accomplishments.

2. Expect The Unexpected: Interviewers throw out surprises, sometimes unintentionally, which can catch you off-guard. It pays to know the questions that they might ask. Anticipate even the craziest questions.

3. Consult Those Who Are Already In Your Chosen Field: This gives you a wealth of information on the daily routine, responsibilities and challenges.

4. Changing A Line Of Career Isn’t Unusual: The need for cross-discipline skills is no surprise these days. Get across the point that you don’t lack all the skills required by the new job even you haven’t worked in a similar one. Interpersonal skills, organizational, personal skills are commonly required wherever you go.

5. Brush Up Old Skills And Add New Ones: Comparing your skill set with that required by the target job will tell you the areas you need to concentrate on.

6. Use The Internet: Use Internet job boards to post your resume, which should be carefully crafted specially for this purpose. By crafting, I mean using keywords that are industry-specific jargon.

7. Internet Helps Research A New Industry: Visit websites of organizations, forums or associations in that field which gives invaluable insight before short listing them. Researching job listings by company will definitely help you get an idea of what skills are most in demand.

8. Family Support: Draw confidence and support from your family. When you are down, use them as a sounding board. They may be able to help you come up with new ideas, and they will definitely boost your confidence.

9. Interview, Interview: Even if you are not perfectly suited for a particular position, you should still interview as much as you can. This way, you will know your strengths and weaknesses. It will also help if you do some informational interviewing. This is simply targeting people already working in your field and speaking with them about their jobs.

10. Network. Networking has been the time-tested method for a successful career change. Network with ex-employees and current employees of your target industry. Over 60% of all interviews come as a result of networking.



By: Tony Jacowski

About the Author:

Garth

Being pregnant can be difficult enough for many women who may suffer not only from health issues but also may have financial concerns due to the monetary responsibility of being a mother.

The constant thought of what is going to happen after the baby is born can be very stressful for them, particularly if they don’t want to go back to their present employer.

Many wish to make a career change while pregnant and feel that this is probably one of the best times for doing exactly that.

However, the opportunity of finding a new career, at this specific time in their lives, is very restrictive. How many employers want to take on a new employee, the mother of a new baby, knowing that she is very likely to be distracted by thoughts of the welfare of her baby throughout the working day rather than his or her company? They would also have their doubts on whether she would be reliable in her time keeping due to her baby’s needs.

However, a career change while pregnant is now very possible for every woman who wants to take the chance of working for themselves. They could utilise the skills they have accumulated during their time of working as an employee by setting themselves up as a consultant in specific areas of their knowledge base.

They could also use this time to take the opportunity of turning their hobby into a business. However, the handicap of this would be that they would have to allocate many hours into developing a new business venture and this is likely to be impossible with a new baby to look after.

The internet is possibly one area where a career change while pregnant would be an advantage to a woman at this point in her life. These advantages would include the fact that she would not have to leave the home, thus leaving her baby with someone else. She would always be on hand when required. She could work the hours she wanted to work and around the needs of her baby.

The skills required for her internet business could be acquired whilst still working for the employer and up until the time that the woman would have to leave the company on maternity leave.

Therefore finding an internet business which did not take too long to master the necessary skills could be the answer to many women who are looking for a career change while pregnant.



By: Aine Callan

About the Author:

Wesley

asked:


My husband is turning 50 and works in a plant. Hard work, long hours and a bad environment are taking it’s toll on him physically. We’d love for him to change careers but going to school isn’t an option. His schedule doesn’t allow for it and we don’t have the funds. But if he doesn’t do something, he won’t make it to retirement. Any ideas?

Cliff

Baby boomer career change has introduced a unique restructuring program to the final phase recreating a completely new identity. This phase had traditionally been focussed on the years between natural retirement and spiritual redeployment.

In recent times it has become very obvious that unless we are of the millionaire status the terminating cash won’t pay the bills for as long as necessary whilst maintaining an appropriate standard of living. Budgetary planning has been greatly challenged by dramatic increase in the length of a life requiring food and shelter as well as the usual collection of needs.

Out of necessity this group has been contributing substantially to the business arena originally dominated by the plans and practices of the younger groups.

Traditionally allocated time of the final phase has now been crammed with a multitude of major personal business experiences and experiments that have worked toward eliminating previous traits defining the season. Computer knowledge is often extended rather than left at the workplace. A huge amount of interest has been generated, particularly with the dynamic life of the era. Baby boomer career change has hit the community with stories of success, victory and discovery most days in most papers. A new attitude of learning and sharing information is moving through this exciting community at a fast rate.

Baby boomer career change has remembered and revitalized the traditional characterisics of youth through the experiences of growing, learning, experimenting and discovery. Previous youth traits of disobedience, challenge, questioning, and at times rebellion are at times necessary but that special gift of mature age wisdom now makes a complete difference to the outcome.

Middle years was traditionally noted for the season of responsibility, earning, consolidation, development and expansion. These experiences are now often interrupted with bouts of uncertainty, fast change, failure and disappointment.

Businesses may have been launched but challenged with overwhelming debt brought about through wrong decisions. Jobs had previously been held for numerous years with appropriate upgrade according to skill level and company growth. The workplace for many now is being finalized with a termination package or a short contract expecting a full time task to be completed in a twenty hour week. Only a few have the wealth to move into the following uncertain phase with an asset structure applicable to the desired standard of living.

The baby boomer career change has orchestrated a multitude of business ventures and creative ideas that have brought a total turnaround of long term established meanings and roles attached to this previously predictable phase. The full-time, permanent, knowledgeable and friendly middle aged rate-payer’s clerk has been replaced with a face that changes every 3months depending on the morning temperatures.

A baby boomer in a career change still has new ground to cover within the next forty years but after the restructuring of the original plan will hardly be inclined to spend hours learning to knit in a rocking chair. A bold few who learnt to knit fifty years ago are now selling unique, warm woollen jumpers on the internet to school groups taking end of year bus trips to the snow. This wisdom is not being wasted but it has been restructured



By: Ken Little

About the Author:

John

Frank asked:


Hello. Earlier this year I graduated from college with an undergraduate degree in Business management. I have had only a couple of offers for employment, but nothing that would satisfy me. I figured a salary around 30k to begin with along with benefits would not be asking for much. I been becoming frustrated lately trying to find something and now Im thinknig of going back to school and looking outside of business for a major.

Im just curious if anyone felt the same way and what you did, or what are you doing now, to go about a career change? Have you looked at anything online that has assisted you and helped you make a clearer choice? Anything you can help me with would be greatly appreciative. Basically Im confused and just looking for suggestions. Thank you to all who reply!

Morris