Do you want to change your career but feeling overwhelmed and having self-doubt ?
If you discover at some point in your career that this is not what you actually want to do, rest assured that you’re not alone and you don’t have to stay in the course because being in a career that you aren’t passionate about will become stressful at some point and will reflect negatively on your performance and your health.
Regardless of how many years of experience you have, changing career paths is not impossible so don’t hesitate to take this step because:
- Many management skills are transferrable: Skills like planning, problem solving and decision-making.
- Interpersonal and Soft Skills apply to all careers: Communication, emotional intelligence, Active Listening, Leadership and many more.
- It might be difficult short term but it pays off long term: Even if you change companies while staying within the same career path, it will still be a learning curve while you adapt to the organizational culture. You might start with a lower post and salary but sometimes taking a step back to gain ten in the future is a wise thing to do.
- You can always learn the same way you learned in your previous career. I personally know many who changed their careers after 10 years and now they are extremely successful.
Believe in yourself and do not hesitate to take this step because it might be life changing. When you decide to take this step, make sure you:
- Chose the Right Path: Make sure you have a clear idea about the new career path you want to pursue and establish a measurable goal that you want to achieve in the future.
- Establish a Plan: Just like you manage any project based on a preliminary plan, you should do the same. During your journey, you can inspect and adapt.
- Chose the Right Organization: When changing careers, what’s more important than just finding a job, is to find an organization that you believe will help you achieve your career goals so you need to do proper due diligence.
- Chose the Right Time: Timing of changing careers can make a difference for you. Don’t stay dwelling on your plan for a long time.
- Pursue Professional Development: It’s a great asset if you pursue some certifications that are relevant to your new career plan and goals. Knowledge combined with experience is a recipe for long term success.
