As most of us would remember all too well, we are often told to choose a career when leaving high school. Or we fall into a career path as a result of the jobs we take on once we finish secondary learning. But what we want at 18 and what we want at 28 are usually vastly different, so how do we approach career change and how will this change affect our day to day lives?
At 18, most of us don’t have bills, but by our late twenties, we’ve started building a life. We’ve moved out, bought a car, travelled overseas and started paying for our own utilities. Our bills generally reflect our income and our income is a reflection of our career. By 28 most of us have finished some form of tertiary education and are paying off HECS, or have climbed the ranks of a career we fell into after school. We have credentials and skills and experience and higher job prospects.
So what happens to all of that when we no longer want to pursue that career? How do we decide what we actually do what to do and how do we take steps in the direction we want to go?
First, ask yourself: Is your career satisfying? If you don’t enjoy your job but you enjoy your work perhaps you need to look for a new job. However if your career is making you feel trapped, it is time to take action.
Career satisfaction can depend on a number of things: Are you happy at work? Do you like the people you work for and with? Are you good at your job? Is there room for growth? If you answered yes to these questions you are probably right where you need to be in your career. If you answered no, it’s time to look at a career change.
Moving forward you’ll need to make some considerations. What is it that you want to do? What interests you? What further education do you need to pursue a career in that field? Can you continue to work while you are studying?
Studies indicate that the main reason we feel trapped in jobs we don’t enjoy are our financial obligations. In most cases, there are ways to go about minimising these payments while you study or pursue a new career path. So putting that aside and making a decision based on our career goals, interests and job satisfaction, your new career path may not be as far away as you think.
In order to identify your new career, mind maps, pros and cons lists and asking friends and family their opinions can help you take the first steps towards what you really want to do. Once you start searching, you may find that your new career is actually only a hop, skip and a jump away. So ask yourself; am I happy in my career? If not, it’s time to start making moves.
if you’re thinking of career change why not check out our Jobs List?
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