Ready for a Career Change: Know How ?
Are you thinking about changing your careers? It’s time to discover your passion and make that your job.
The autumn leaves have started falling. Get the “back to school” feeling in the air, and squeaky fresh shoes walk the pavement as the chill wind blows. There’s excitement about this time of year, new beginnings, fresh starts, and career changes.
The summer may be over, but something new starts soon. But you’re still in your old job. With this new beginning, if you plan to switch your career, take a deep breath and go ahead. I know you are reluctant to experiment with your career, but it is never too late to change the course of your ship.
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Whether you want to leave the corporate globe to start your own business or switch to a distinct industry. We have gathered some mantras to help you make a successful career change.
1. How to Find the Right Career
Start With Your Why
Before strategizing how you will make a career change. In simple terms, you need to invest time to identify the career that’s right for you to pursue. Experts states start by thinking about their “why.”
You need to think about what you want to do and why you want to do it. After that, ask yourself what challenges you’ll encounter to get there. Moreover, if you are switching from marketing to data science, then online courses from Unschool, along with an internship, will help you to get a clear picture of the domain.
The above process shouldn’t be rushed. The task needs to initiate early to ensure you don’t jump into a different career path that ends up worse for you. Many people want to escape a situation and immediately jump into another one, but we repeat patterns when we don’t first recognize what those patterns are. It’s important to step back and reflect internally. If you have any doubts, seek some guidance from peers, family or your mentor.
Recognize Your Strengths
You must consider a path that values your strengths at the right job and not just for change’s sake.
“If you’re going to go into the IT world, take a sneak peek of the demand in the industry and what you will gain from it. One important note is that those things are critical, not things you think you should want or should do.
Expert agrees that those trying to switch careers need to look retrospectively to identify their strengths and apply that to a future endeavor. Whatever the next step might be, it’s vital to think about what you already can do well and employ the strength as a pillar for what your next step will be. Taking an assessment test may assist you in honing in on your skill set.
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2. Dig Your Options
Test Careers in a Low-Stakes Environment
If you’re unhappy in your present position but don’t know what should come next, there are ways to experiment with changing careers without much risk.
Start with evaluating why you’re unhappy in your industry. Do you lack work-life balance? You need to be clear about those things to get a sense of where to go next. So buckle up
Experts approve that dipping your toe into a new industry before jumping can be a helpful, safer way to explore a career transition. Likewise, Unschool has come with three product lines, namely:
- Kickstarter program– Explore 150 courses here to get a kickstart in your career
- Level up an internship program– Take a deep dive into the preferred domain and get an online internship to get a taste of the field.
- Job program– Get a six-month digital marketing course along with career assistance.
Sounds exciting, right? To know more, visit Unschool now!
Other ways to dip your toes into a new career include:
- Researching other industries on LinkedIn – Look up keywords of sectors you’re interested in, typical research companies, and the roles and titles within that sector.
- Interning – Once you’ve identified companies that interest you, see if there are offline or online internship opportunities.
- Merging with professional groups
- Networking – Plan coffee chats with peers whose roles interest you. Tap your existing network for intros to people working in your industry of interest; dispatch targeted outreach emails to recruiters and hiring managers at companies you’re looking forward to.
- Volunteering : If you’re feeling lost, look around at those you admire.
“Envy can be a precious tool — almost like a metal detector,”. “It’s distinct than jealousy; envy means you want what they have, too. And if you ask yourself why you’re envious of that person’s career, you can start to answer some questions. Discussing with other people about their careers can also help you get an idea of the future.
3. Learn by Networking
Networking with those who have the position you’re interested in is about more than just securing a job. Therefore, it also gives you a realistic glimpse into your day-to-day life in that industry. Since you are already a working professional and well-versed in the corporate culture. It will be easy for you to settle into a new professional environment.
Fortunately, an online-centric world has made career searches much easier, eliminating friction around finding and contacting individuals and companies. You can start with cold outreach through a connection, but either way, it’s about understanding that you can’t live somebody else’s life, so you have to do the research yourself.
4. Align Your Skills to Your New Path
For those making drastic hops, be strategic about positioning and framing your skills to ensure you present yourself as a fit for the role you want, not the role you’re leaving. Align your brand with what you want to do next. Moreover, being willful about your future career path and taking careful note of job descriptions can further help you with alignment. Also, take an assessment of your transferable skills that you can employ to exhibit that you can work in that job.
While there is a common misperception that those entering new industries might need to be prepared to take a pay cut or a demotion. But, experts deny this fact. You’re carrying all your experience into the new field and not completely starting over.
5. How to Navigate the Career Transition
Experts have varied thoughts regarding how long a career transition should take or what it should look like. But it reflects the individualistic nature of careers. How quickly you can handle your career change should be realistic for your situation and the level of risk you can safely shoulder.
Ripping off the Band-Aid can make sense when you’re in a toxic work environment and cannot continue. Therefore, foster transitions where you’re still working in your role, which allows you to understand a new sector.
The right way to transition between careers also depends on how risk-averse an individual is or how flexible their current lifestyle allows them to be. According to some experts, the faster the transition, the better. While moving fast can have perks, keep in mind that you can only control your job search. Rejection is a normal process, especially when starting an entirely new career. Time invested in applying to and interviewing for jobs, possibly repeatedly, should be factored into your decision-making.
Get started now
When it comes to changing careers, learning the necessary skills is just the beginning. Planning to land a job in tech demands a professional portfolio, a robust job-search strategy, and a strong personal brand. Don’t worry, it’s not as exhausting as it sounds but a good quality boot camp to help you with all these things. Therefore, the first step is to find a reputable program in the specific domain.
Ideally, you’ll opt for a program that offers hands-on learning, dedicated mentorship, and expert career coaching, then Unschool is here for you.
At the same time, continue to explore the various programs offered and get an online internship. Immerse yourself in theory, real-world case studies, trends, and discussion topics, anything that aids in polishing your knowledge of the new industry. Enroll now and get started.
Now ULead offers a paid online internship program for students to upskill themselves. We empower students to become industry-ready through courses and internships. Enroll now!
