What should I do for a career change?
If you are looking for a career change there are a lot of questions that you should ask yourself before making the final decision.
In our latest post we provide more insights helping you decide what's best for finding a career that you truly love and makes you happy.
Table of contents:
- How do I find a career I love?
- Which career is the happiest?
- How do I start a new career at 40?
- What is career progression?
- Is 40 too late to start a career?
- Is 40 too old for a career change?
- Simple tips for a career change
- Do I need a career change coach?
- Do I need interview preparation coaching?
- What is career transformation?
- Career growth - The #1 tool to get more job applications done
How do I find a career I love?
If there are days that you feel down, that you don’t even want to think about your work anymore and you blame your choices up until now, then you need to reconsider your career. Very seriously.
After your self reflection and your realisation that your current career doesn’t satisfy you, the difficult part is to find which is the career that you actually love. Read carefully our points below and receive it as food for thought for your next steps.
- Do a skill's assessment:
This will involve asking yourself questions like "What are my strengths and weaknesses?", "What skills do I have that can be transferred to a new job?", and "Am I willing to learn new skills?". Asking these kinds of questions can help you determine what kind of job you should be aiming for, if your current career doesn't have anything you're interested in.
- Try out different jobs:
If you don't know exactly what it is that you want to do, trying out different jobs might help shed some light on the matter. There are many ways to do this. Some options include working at an entry-level position in a company you'd like to work for, or volunteering with an organisation doing work that interests you.
- Explore your passions:
Whether it's reading, painting, or playing an instrument, figuring out what makes your heart flutter can give you insight into what kind of career would inspire the same feeling in your professional life.
You don't necessarily need to make a living off of those passions—they do not always translate well into full-time careers—but they may open up possibilities for side hustles or part-time gigs that give meaning and satisfaction to your life beyond just making money.
- Research different career options:
This involves exploring the opportunities available in the field(s) that interest you most, finding out what it takes to get hired by companies in those fields (degree requirements? certifications?), looking at typical salaries for entry-level positions vs experienced employees, etc.
It's important not only to be aware of industry standards but also look for companies/individuals who may offer something unique such as flexible hours or alternative compensation models like salary plus equity packages instead of just hourly pay/salary packages alone.
Also, don't forget about researching alternative ways all together such as starting up something from scratch!
- Talk to people who are already doing the work:
Reach out via social media platforms such as LinkedIn, which is the most appropriate platform for this kind of communication. Create a sample message. Start with a greeting and then get immediately to the point explaining the purpose of your message.
Write why you are reaching out especially to them (because they are working where you want to work) and why you need their information. Be friendly, straight to the point and grateful for their time. Be sure that their insights will help you!
Take a look in our blog post "How to approach someone on LinkedIn for a job" for more details.
Which career is the happiest?
So which career is the happiest? It's any one of these:
- The one you enjoy doing.
- The one that challenges you and makes you feel fulfilled.
- The one that fits with your life and your personality.
- The one that makes you feel like you're making a difference.
- The one that makes you feel valued.
- The one that pays well.
- And the one that lets you laugh for much longer than is strictly necessary at work-related puns, such as this gem on a gift to coworkers: “I hope this bamboo plant brings some serenity to your office space—it'll grow on ya!”
- And finally the career that can help you grow and create new growth opportunities both for your personal and your professional growth
How do I start a new career at 40?
Now that you have a better understanding of what your dream career (and your career growth path) looks like, there are several things you can do to get yourself ready for the transition. First, it's time to learn some new skills.
- Take advantage of online courses:
Online courses can be a useful way to develop knowledge in the field you want to go into without spending years at school or putting your current job on hold. The great thing about these courses is that they offer flexibility—you can work around your schedule and study when and where you're most comfortable.
Many also provide opportunities for direct interaction with experts in the field, so you'll be able to ask questions as they come up instead of trying to figure everything out on your own.
- Volunteer:
Another way that you could develop some practical experience is by volunteering in an organisation related to your desired field (for example if you want to become a nurse). Volunteering gives you hands-on opportunities not only learn more about the profession, but also see how people who already work in this area think and act during their day-to-day operations.
This will help prepare you for when it's time make the leap from volunteer status into full employment status within this industry yourself!
- Grow your network:
It's all about the people you meet, get to know and you work with. At the end of the day they are the one's who will help you in your journey for a new career. The more people you know and especially from different background and with different experiences, the better for you.
Keep some typical relations with them and when the time comes for your new job hunt make them aware of it!
- Find a mentor:
If you don't already know that there are career mentors out there, then find it out now. Search online and connect with professionals that they can unlock your mind and create a career plan with you while offering you the best choices you have in order to achieve your goal.
- Update your online presence:
Don't forget that your social media is your online image, so keep them professional. LinkedIn is the platform that you should have updated with all the things you learn and achieve. They will be really useful for your job change success.
You can add all your skills, certifications, education, working experience, seminars and your own bio (like a cover letter) which will will set you apart from the competition. In this you won't be limited to one page!
Finally, you can turn on your ideal job alert notifications in order to be one of the first applicants.
What is career progression?
My career progression, we typically mean the actions that contribute in moving forward with your career.
Some typical expressions that are used in the workplace are "climbing the ladder" or "getting promotion", however career progressing in your career doesn't always mean that you have to get a promotion or getting a more highly paid role. There are other ways to progress in your career by trying different fields, changing roles internally, acquiring knowledge and getting training from your company or by an external company.
Is 40 too late to start a career?
There's an old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but if you're considering a career change in middle age, that adage just doesn't apply.
There are many reasons to consider switching careers when you're older: As a matter of fact, your age can be one of your greatest assets, providing a distinct advantage over younger job candidates. Here are six reasons why:
- You have life experience.
- You have more time than younger people.
- You are more motivated than younger people.
- You have more confidence than younger people.
- You have more skills than younger people.
Is 40 too old for a career change?
There is a common misconception that your age dictates how much you are capable of learning and doing. While there may be certain things that you can do in your 20s that get harder as you get older, it is important to remember that age is just a number, and you are as young or old as you feel.
If your mindset and attitude are open to new experiences and possibilities, then it doesn't matter how old you are, you can still learn something new and make a change in your life if this is what will make you happier. So as long as you have the motivation to take action when an opportunity arises, it may not even take very long for this switch to start paying off.
Simple tips for a career change
Take a look at two of our most important tips for a career change. Make sure to follow them so that your change is successful one!
Do I need a career change coach?
Getting a career change coach is one of the latest trends. We recommend finding a coach and use Loopcv as a job search automation tool in parallel.
A career change coach (or sometimes mentioned as a career change consultant) will help you identify what kind of jobs you like, what are your strengths and weaknesses and finally how you can transition from your current job to your desired jobs or the job that fits your profile.
A career change coach will also help you prepare your resume, and sometimes (depending on the fee that you are paying to your career change coach) will be able to help you with your interview preparation by doing mock interviews with you. Make sure that you find a career coach with a certification in order to help you even better with your career growth requirements
Finally a career change coach (or Career Transformation Coach) can motivate you to make the decisions (which is sometimes the most difficult part when trying to change a career, and that's why a career change coach or consultant is of big help).
Do I need interview preparation coaching?
A lot of times when you change a career, it is very important to get training and coaching for your interview.
Interview preparation coaching is simply put the process that you follow in order to learn how to perform a well-structured interview, feel less anxious and get the most out of a future interview for your career change and career growth opportunities.
Typically an Interview preparation coaching process contains mock interviews, questions and answers, virtual interview practice and coding tests (if you want to prepare yourself for a software engineering interview).
In case where you are preparing for a sales interview, then a more case oriented process is followed where you have to provide a presentation for a specific case (typically including marketing, sales process, audience, messaging etc.) And then the coach for your Interview preparation will ask you questions to check how well prepared you are and how quickly you can answer some challenging questions.
What is career transformation?
Career transformation is a term similar to the one of the career change that we covered on this article.
However career transformation might require additional support (and that's why a career transformation program can help people that are interested for a career transformation to learn all the new skills and get the information they need in order to change their career).
It might be helpful for anyone that is in progress of transforming their career to get additional help from a career transformation course.
There are multiple resources and career transformation courses in the market and can be used for a faster career transformation and sometimes can even eliminate the need of a career change coach.
Get some experience
- Volunteer for a role that is close to your career change.
- Get in touch with people already working in the career you want to change to.
- Attend networking events to meet people working in the career you want to change to.
- Read books on the new career.
- Complete an online course on the new career.
It's good to have a plan before starting a new career
It's a good idea to make a plan before starting a new career. This can help ensure you are clear about what your goals are and will also give you a list of steps to take.
One first step might be getting some experience in this field. You could do an internship, volunteer work, or find some other way to get started and network with people who are already working in the area. The more work experience you have, the better your chances of finding full-time employment later on.
Career growth - The #1 tool to get more job applications done
Loopcv is the first matchmaking platform that offers fully automation on the job search and job application. Loopcv can help you apply to hundreds of jobs every day automatically and the best part is that you don't have to spend time doing all the manual steps that you would normally do in order to apply.
