Changing careers can be a scary situation filled with instability. However, there are many people who have done it successfully and you can too. The only one stopping you from living the life you want, having the job you want, and taking the next leap for your career change is you.
Though it can be really scary, it might end up being the best decision you make for yourself in the long run. Get out of your own way and chase your dreams. So, follow this guide and you will be on your way to a successful career.
This is the career change advice that will change your life.
How to Know When it's Time to Change Careers:
You're Not Interested in Your Work
Being interested in your work will make or break the job for you. You have to find joy in what you are doing. Do something that you find interesting and can see yourself doing in the long run. If you don't you might want to look for something else.
There is no room for advancement
If there is no room for advancement, there is no room for you. You deserve the world. First, see what happens when you put yourself out there and throw out a proposal. If it is denied, you can move on knowing you did what you could and gave it your best shot.
You Dread Work
Since you spend the majority of your life working, you should love what you do. You don't even have to LOVE it all the time, but at least enjoy what you do and going to work. If you dread going to work, it is probably time for a career change.
You Don't Enjoy the People you Work With
Have you ever heard the term "you are who you hang out with?" The same goes for work. Most of the time, you spend more time with your colleagues than you do with your family. You should like the people who you are spending the most time with.
You aren't making enough money
Money is a HUGE determining factor in a job. If there is not enough fast growth potential income-wise, then you need to find a job where there is or learn a new skill set. To gain the experience, it might be worth it just to volunteer for a CEO or company that would be your dream job. You might just get an amazing opportunity.
Career Change Advice:
Turn Your Life Into Your Pinterest Board
Really, turn your life into your Pinterest board. How, you might ask? BE her! That's how. Change your habits, one by one. Set small goals you know you can achieve. Declutter your life. Make the small changes that will end up changing your life. If you improve by 1% every day, you will be HER in less than a year.
Make a vision board that shows what you want your life to be like and look at it every day until it is a reality. Believe it into existence. It is the first step to getting where you want to go. Your dream job or business is not far away, but it takes starting to get somewhere. If you never start and don't ever take it seriously, it never will be.
What skills could you learn to get the job you want, the raise you want, or the business you could start? I bet you know or can find out very easily. The only one stopping you from achieving your dreams is yourself.
Additionally, romanticizing your life and your job can make you fall in love with it. You might not like your work because you have a dull, sad office and you come to work in old, dull clothes. Sell some of your clothes and get a fresh wardrobe. Spruce up your desk, get a candle, and some nice work-related items and you might find yourself enjoying it a little bit more.
Your environment is a reflection of you!
Make a Plan and Stick to it
Write out exactly what it is you want and match it up with a realistic timeline. You can't know if you are on track unless you have and follow a plan. If you are not creating your life, your life will create you.
You don't want to wake up one day and realize how far you are from your dreams and what you could have done if you would have taken the leap or made the hard choice. Make the plan, make the changes, hold yourself accountable and you're halfway there.
The worst recipe is "too little too late." If you start now and hold yourself to it, you are on the path to success. Something that plays into this is organization. Use your calendar and task management apps to their full capability. Set reminders and alarms that force you to put in the work. You are the only thing standing in your way. Be a friend to yourself just as much as you would for someone else.
Assess your skills
A career change means that you will change from one thing to something else, obviously. But you need to make sure you have a good assessment of your skills so that you know what you want to do or can do well at. I am a firm believer in doing what you are GREAT at.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and I believe that you should strengthen what you are great at and leave the other part to someone who is better at that than you. When you are going through a career change, you can count on the fact that you know what it is you can do and you are good at that, and that will get you far.
If you need to add to your skillset, there are plenty of resources. My personal favorite recommendation is offering to volunteer for someone who has the job you want. This is a free way to learn from someone who is already successful at what it is you want.
Right off the bat, you probably think of reasons why you can't and how you don't have time for it, but the career girl you dream to be would come up with the solution to make it work. So, be her.