Timing Your Career Change the Right Way

Have you fallen out of love with your current job? Is it no longer fun to get up and go into the office because you’ve been skipped over for promotions or had a cut in pay or benefits? Even worse, has your career ground to a halt because of changes in technology or the economy? These are all excellent reasons to consider a career change. Timing your career change to take advantage of a better option in another field takes some research, planning and often some difficult soul searching.

Follow the Money

In today’s difficult economic times, many people are choosing to make a career change to another field that offers the promise of more money. Think about your skills and abilities and research available career options to determine if there is another career path that is suited to your abilities. Be sure to discuss options with a career change specialist or a head hunter. Remember that, as you plan out the timing of your change you may need to account for retraining or additional education.

Follow the Path

As you complete your research into growing job fields, developing a plan for the change is vital. Remember, if you are choosing to make the change late in life, you may have to take a salary cut at first. Be sure, however, that the new field offers the opportunity for significant advancement if you work hard and make a good impression. Have adequate savings in reserve to get through those early, difficult times and be sure to include a contingency plan if your new career path doesn’t pan out.

Follow the Gut

After the research and the planning, it’s time to make your decision. Since the ultimate goal is personal satisfaction, be certain to listen to your gut when it comes time to make a decision. That innate sense of “knowing” the answer to a question – even if the question is about your future career – should never be ignored. It may seem like a wing and prayer, but if you have the guts to do it, you may just find yourself sitting exactly where you want to! Likewise, you may find yourself armed with good advice, a firm grasp of your choice of the growing job fields, a plan, and the savings to make it through, and it still might seem like the wrong time. Listen to your gut.

Making a career change is always a scary thing. There are no guarantees that the change will work out. But if you take some time to research all the options, make a plan for a solid transition into a new field and listen to your gut, it’s very possible to have a successful career change.