It is a new year, a new decade. For many of us, this represents an opportunity. It feels like a good time to set a few new goals, to devise a few new challenges, to work on a few of our dreams. Given that we spend so much of our lives working, it makes sense for us to prioritize making a few of those goals and changes about our career. Could 2020 be the start of a new career? Work your way through these questions to find out whether this could be for you.
What is Driving Your Decision?
If you are pondering a career change, take the time to work out exactly what is driving your decision.
Are you unhappy in your current job? If so, try to figure out whether it is the company, the colleagues, the environment or the role itself. You might find that a move to a different company suits you, without the need to switch careers. This will still feel like a new path for you, a new adventure for this year.
Could it be that it is your work life balance that is getting you down? It is hard to juggle home life and the demands of your job sometimes, but this might be the time to make adjustments at work and be assertive when you need to take a step back. However, striving for a better balance can also be a great driver in making a change, it can be the start of something brand new.
What Would You Do If Anything Was Possible?
If something springs to mind immediately, and that is not your current career, then maybe it is time for a change.
Think about what you have always wanted to do, think about those industries that appeal to you and think about what you feel you would be good at. You might love the idea of being a scriptwriter, a zookeeper, an entertainment lawyer, a midwife, or perhaps you want to be a bookseller. Everyone has their own dreams, the lives that they daydream about living. The career will be personal to you and we cannot point you in the right direction with this one. What we can do is tell you that if you have a burning desire to do something different, then go for it.
You can choose to retrain, you can choose to intern, you can choose to apply to the right businesses or you can choose to start your own business in a field of your choosing. The possibilities are endless and the choice is yours.
What Support Do You Have Around You?
Changing careers can be difficult. You might struggle financially while you retrain, you might have to invest a lot of time to get a new business off the ground and it can be stressful. Think about all that you will need to go through to start a new career and consider the support that you have around you.
You might need to ask friends to be patient with you, you might need help with childcare arrangements, you might need your partner or family to support you financially for a time or you might need some practical assistance in gaining new qualifications or launching a business.
If you can see ways for this to work, with support, then start having those conversations with the relevant people and sound them out. You can then start taking the steps that you need to, confident in the knowledge that you have their backing.
Like we said at the top. It’s a new year, a new decade. So get to it.
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