So I just posted about a newsletter I received that talked about the idea of switching jobs after being in a field for a while, and the potential financial issues that can come about with such a change.
I guess the first thing that you should really do before embarking on a career change is ask yourself why you want to make that switch. This seems like such a basic question, but I wonder how many people don’t really consider why they want to switch from what they are doing to what they think that they want to do before they do so.
Don’t get me wrong: I know that if you are considering a new job choice you will consider the things that are wrong with what it is that you are doing. You’ll say this is what I hate about this career adn this is why I want to get out.
But have you also asked yourself what is so great about the new career of choice? Have you talked to other people in the new field and asked what they think about their job choice and whether they would or would not choose that same job if they had it to do all over again?
If you are getting out of one career and hoping to enter another-especially if you have to return to school for further education-you should first sit down and really ask yourself why it is that you are leaving what you are doing and what it is you think that you will get out of what you want to do.
Once your list is completed, find some people who work in the field that you are considering entering and talk to them about what they like, dislike and would want to change about their jobs.
We have a tendency to become bogged down in the day to day tasks of our careers and when we see something else that looks interesting we put on the ‘grass is greener’ glasses. I’ve known people who have hated what it is (or was!) that they were doing and started thinking about other fields. Problem was, when I asked why it was that they wanted to go into the new field, they really couldn’t give a firm answer. “Sounds exciting” or “More money” really aren’t great reasons to switch your entire career. While both are excellent on face value, neither will make you ultimately happy.
So if you are looking at changing careers stop and ask yourself not only why you want to get out of the one career but why you want to get into the other. Set aside the rose colored glasses and talk to someone who is out in the field that you want to enter and see what they have to say. Changing careers is a huge step ; make sure that you do so only after a lot of hard thinking and tough questioning.