What to Do when You Want to Change Careers

You may be in your 20's, 30's, or even into your 40's or 50's, and decide the work you are doing is not for you anymore. Or, maybe you have just started in a career and realize that this career is not for you. What should you do, especially if you have many years of work ahead of you?

First of all, you should decide what you want to do. When you decide what you want to do next, you need to research your new career interest thoroughly. Decide if your personality and abilities match this type of career.

Once you have decided that this new career is right for you, it does not necessarily mean you need to leave your job and be without an income. It does not necessarily mean you will need further education. It may just mean a redirection of your skills, a change in your resume focus, and a new job search. Many skills are transferable across industries. For example, if you have administrative skills and are working in financial services, but would now like to use those skills in health care, there may not be any need for further education, at least not in the short-term. Many administrative positions in health care will complement those positions in many other industries. You can learn a lot about health care while on the job, and can always attend night courses down the road for a more formal Health Care Administration Degree.

Other career changes may require more radical changes to your lifestyle. For example, if you are a secondary school teacher and now want to become a nurse, or vice versa, you will probably have to leave your job behind at some point in your education. Part of nursing education requires on-the-job training and you will need to be in a hospital for part or all of a day, several days per week. To become a teacher, you probably can take night classes, but at some point, some classroom work will become necessary.