How to change your career path
Determine if further education or upskilling is required
Read through the position descriptions of the jobs you want to apply for and match these against your existing qualifications, experiences and skill set.
Are there any gaps in your current experience or skill set that may hold you back? Do you need any further formal qualifications to qualify for these positions?
List all of the further education and upskilling that you require to give yourself the best opportunity to successfully make a transition.
Create a plan
It’s time to bring your career change research together and create an action plan. Once you have a specific role or industry in mind, the next step is to map out how you will make the transition happen.
Write a list of all the tasks required to make this career change, including any upskilling and further education activities, updating your resume, attending industry events, networking, meeting informally with hiring managers and recruiters, preparing job applications and landing your career-changing role.
Map these activities out into a timeline and set clear milestones to achieve them.
Don’t forget your finances
Lastly, consider whether this career change will impact your finances. Are you looking at a big pay rise or a pay cut?
If you are anticipating a big pay cut, build up an emergency fund with three to six months of your essential living expenses so you can feel confident that your career change won’t impact your day-to- day livelihood.
Don’t forget to also review your budget and re-establish how you will manage your expenses on your new salary.
If you are expecting a pay increase with this career change, review your budget and re-allocate your income so you aren’t going to be impacted by lifestyle creep.
While you deserve to treat yourself for making the big move, don’t let the pay increase get you into a worse financial position.
This is an edited extract from Smart Moves: Simple Ways to Take Control of Your Life (Wiley) by Téa Angelos. Purchase a copy of the book here.
