It's January! The first few weeks of the new year can be a challenging time. We've survived the holidays and now we suddenly have to dive back into our 'normal' routines. Many of my clients, and I, have found this to be a challenging transition. Add to this a desire to make major life changes and January can become very stressful very quickly. As I work with a lot of young adults one of the transitions I talk about a lot is switching jobs or careers.
Gone are the days of company loyalty, working 30 years towards retirement. More and more younger generations are speaking up for their quality of life requirements and expectations from their employers. Companies are feeling the pressure to treat their employees with some basic human decency, and boy are they mad about it. I wholeheartedly support my clients and friends in their journey to speak up for their needs and find a career path that meets them. After all, that's why I started my own practice. Still, actually making a shift, no matter how noble the reasoning, is scary. There is plenty of planning and work involved in finding a new place to spend 40+ hours a week. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
Start by assessing your skills and interests.
What do you enjoy doing? What do you excel at? Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses and use it to determine what career path may be best suited for you. Not sure what you're interested in? The O*Net Interest Profiler can help you narrow down what appeals to you.
Assess what is most important to you.
There a various factors to consider when it comes to a career. We all have different values and needs, and knowing what yours are can help to narrow down what will work for you. One of the most important values to me when it comes to work is flexibility. I like being able to travel when I want and set my own hours so working as a service professional (and ultimately owning my own practice) makes sense for me. Other folks will find that earning a high income is a top value, in that case finding a career with plenty of compensation will be important.
Research different career paths.
Look into the educational and experience requirements for various job roles, as well as the potential salary and other benefits they may offer. It may help to keep this all on a spreadsheet to compare and contrast the pros and cons of various options.
Make a plan.
Once you've identified the career path you want to pursue, create a plan that outlines the steps you need to take to get there. This could include things like taking classes, seeking mentors, or continuing your education.
Take action.
Once you have a plan in place, start taking the steps necessary to make your career switch. This could include things like updating your resume, reaching out to potential employers, or applying for jobs.
Stay positive. Making a career change can be a long and challenging process, so it's important to stay positive and stay focused on your goals. Don't let setbacks or rejections discourage you from pursuing your dreams.
No matter what you choose to do finding what is motivating to you and remaining proactive is important to meeting those goals. Research has proven that money, up to a certain point, can in fact buy us happiness. Certainly where we choose to spend our working time also plays a big role in our overall life satisfaction. So take charge! Fear is there for a reason, but that reason isn't always a good enough one to hold us back. I wish you good luck with your career switch!