Recent surveys have shown that millennials are staying in the same career, as they fear starting again from scratch. Almost half have stayed in the same job sector for their entire careers, which can be a problem when more of us than ever want to find greater meaning in our work, in jobs that will bring us the satisfaction and the social impact we crave. Changing careers is certainly a bold move — and to go from a role where you know what you’re doing and have got used to a certain paycheck, to starting from the beginning is enough to send anyone running for the hills. But having job satisfaction is important. When we spend so much time in the workplace, to truly be happy we need to find something rewarding or interesting about our roles.
Here are a few things to consider if a career change is on the cards for you.
Many of us end up in jobs we don’t like, simply because they’re not suited to us. Maybe over the years our personality and interests have changed, and we no longer get satisfaction from the industry we’re in. In some cases, it can be a case of taking a job just because it was available but then moving up over the years. You can find yourself in a relatively decent position in an industry that you really don’t have too much interest in. Have a think about what’s important to you.
Do you want to work with people and genuinely make a difference? A role in healthcare could be for you. Are you an energetic person who prefers to be up and doing things instead of stuck in an office? A more active job such as construction, gardening or any other kind of trade could be suited to you. You really need to choose a role that suits you, your skills and interests.
Whichever way you look at it, changing careers is a life-changing decision. This is the job you will be doing for forty hours out of your week, so changing what you do will affect so much. For this reason it’s not to be taken lightly, and you will need to do plenty of research. One of the things to consider is what kind of skills and qualifications will you need? Online colleges offer just about everything these days, so whether you do a finance degree, psychology degree or MPS degree online there will be something out there to help you reach your career goal. You could do this part-time and structure it around your day job, since the hours are flexible with online learning.
Figure out if you will need any specific training or experience, and work on gaining this. This will put you in the best position when you come to apply for jobs. Things like volunteering abroad, starting a blog and starting up some interesting hobbies can all help you to stand out, and are additional things that employers like.
