Is It Time For A Dramatic Career Change?

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When we’re young, we all have an idea for what we want to do in life. Everyone has a sort of dream career – or at least a job that they’d like to do. This can change many times as we make our way through school, but most people settle on a career when they reach adulthood. Even if you don’t, you most likely end up finding a career and sticking with it.

Most people will stay in the same career for the rest of their lives. Sure, your job role might change, and you could move companies, but you generally follow the same career path.

Why do we do this? In some cases, it’s because you’re really happy with your career. It’s everything you ever dreamed of, and you absolutely love your life. In other cases, it’s more to do with being settled. You settle into your career, and you just stay with it because you’re too worried about trying something new. Even if you don’t like your job and complain about it every day, you still stay!

So, I want to pose a simple question – is it time for a dramatic career change? It’s never too late to try your hand at something new. We all develop passions later on in life, so why don’t you do something that appeals to your strengths and interests? Obviously, this is a huge decision. I’ve listed a few things to consider before deciding if you should switch careers:

Does your current career have a good future?

Some careers aren’t very futureproofed. Does your current career have a positive outlook? In five or ten years, will you still be in a job? There are loads of dying careers out there. Some jobs just won’t hold up anymore because there’s very little need for them. An example of this is a career in manufacturing. The need for human beings in this line of work is decreasing every year. Soon, it’ll be full of machines with just a handful of lucky humans left!

If your job falls into this category, then you should consider a career switch. Change to something fit for the future, like cybersecurity. This career has bright prospects as the demand for cybersecurity specialists is on the rise. It’s relatively easy to get into as well. Places like the University of Alabama Birmingham have courses that you can join and then get into work. Of course, other jobs also fall into this category, so look around for the most futureproof careers out there.

Also, if your current career is futureproofed, then it might be worth sticking with it!

Do you enjoy your job?

Do you wake up every day and dread the thought of going to work? I know lots of us don’t like the idea of going to work because we’re tired or we just want a rest. But, do you genuinely not have any interest in the job you’ve got? Does every day feel like a monotonous cluster of hours where you don’t actually achieve anything?

If you have no passion or interest in your career, then why continue with it? You get no enjoyment out of the working side of your life. As such, you’re constantly in a state of imbalance. I’m not saying that changing careers will automatically lead to a properly chilled out life. You will still work hard and may feel stressed, but it is worth it when you like what you’re doing. It’s a different kind of stress, and you find it much easier to juggle your work life with your personal life.

So, if you don’t like what you’re doing, then why not make a change?

Can you afford to switch careers?

This holds most people back. Can you go through this career change and still afford to, well, live? Ideally, you should be able to continue working full-time as much as possible while preparing for a new career. If you need extra training, this might mean taking night or weekend classes while you work. Or, you could do online training courses in your spare time.

In some scenarios, you may have to quit your full-time job and work part-time instead. If you’re in a relationship, this is easier as you have another source of income to help you out. There’s usually always a way to change careers while still earning money and being able to look after yourself. But, if you’ve viewed all the options, and it’s not quite possible, then you may be stuck in your current career – for now!

A career change can transform your life and help you reach your full potential. It’s scary, you’ll have to work hard, but it’s worth it. Give it some thought if you feel like your life is missing something.