Tips for changing your career path

It can be easy to get stuck in a rut or feel as though you’re just making do with your job. If that is the case, then changing your career could be the route for you – especially if after careful reflection you realise that you’re unhappy.
Now, there are a number of things you can do at this point. You could:

• Turn a hobby into a career and enrol onto an online course – these courses can give you an insight into potential careers, while giving you a credible qualification that you can use when applying for this new job.
• Volunteer – if you’re hesitant to switch careers, then volunteering or shadowing someone from your dream job can help you to decide if it is the right course of action for you. By watching them as they work and witnessing their day to day activities, you can see first-hand what it would be like to do this job.
• Go travelling – sometimes taking a break from your job can help you to gain some perspective. For instance, it will help you to work out whether your dissatisfaction stems from hating it, or if the problem lies with you feeling unchallenged and/or wanting more from your job.

How can you decide if you’re unhappy?

Answering this question is not as easy as you think. After all, even the happiest of us will experience highs and lows over the course of our careers. If you were to change jobs every time you were bored/unhappy, you would have a very colourful CV.

So, how can you figure out the difference? How can you assess if you’re happy or not in your career?
We suggest you ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you still feel passionate about your work? If you wake up most mornings feeling excited about the possibilities and the contributions you’ll bring to the workplace, then you’re happy. If on the other hand, you wake up dreading the day to come, then it may be time to consider your options.
2. Are you happy with the people you work with?  Sometimes the dread you feel isn’t about the job itself, but about the people you work with. For instance, if there is no comradeship between you or you feel very isolated, then this will influence how you feel about your job.Because of this, you need to ask yourself – can this distance between your colleagues be mended/overcome? If there is no chance of mending it, then it may be easier to walk away and look for a job with another company. Likewise, if you disagree with the culture or ethics of the company, then this too could affect your happiness in the workplace.
3. How is your physical and mental well-being?

Does this workplace enable you to easily maintain it, or do you find yourself constantly upset and stressed? If it is the latter then you’re at risk of damaging your health, in which case you may want to consider changing your career.

It is important that you stop to ask yourself these questions, as your responses will help you to determine your next course of action. Only with a clear mind can you make the right decision.
Join us next week, when we delve deeper into the reasons behind why people want to change careers…