After feeling you have reached a career plateau, you may struggle to motivate yourself. This is often a sign that you need to make a change, and a new career could be the most beneficial solution. Starting a new career can be scary, though. You’re never really sure if you’re making the correct decision, and this causes you to second guess yourself at every opportunity. Still, you’ll never know unless you try, so consider these tips on starting a new career.
Don’t Quit Your Current Job
Too many people are tempted to quit their current job before they start a new career. However, this is perhaps the worst thing you can do. While you might feel exhausted in your current role, you at least have stability. This stability is crucial for managing the uncertainty of a new career, and you can still make money while you prepare for it. Once you’re ready for your new career, you can start thinking about handing in your notice and saying goodbye to your previous career.
Give Yourself a Taster
If you have dreams about working in a specific field, you are likely to gravitate towards this when deciding on a new career. However, as much as this field or industry looks appealing on the surface, you might only be looking at it from a romanticized perspective. This is a trap that many career changers fall into, so it’s important to give yourself a taste of what to expect. If possible, look for volunteer work in this new field, or at least try to shadow someone to see how an average day goes.
Be Prepared
Preparation is crucial for starting a new career. You don’t want to feel exposed on your first day at the office, so researching the right qualifications will help you hit the ground running. This preparation can include everything from obtaining CPA exam study materials to learning about the history of your new company. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be striding into the office on Monday, and you won’t feel like an imposter, either.
Relax
It’s natural to be afraid of change, especially when you don’t know what the future holds. You may get to the end of your first day and feel like you’ve made a huge mistake; you might struggle to get to grips with how things work around the office. But, it’s important to remain calm and relax. These are normal teething problems that are bound to happen when exploring a new career. Your knowledge and confidence will come with time, so be confident and put your all into everything during your first few weeks and you’ll soon realize you made the right choice.
The Next Step
Most people feel liberated when they get out of their old routine and explore something else, and this could be you, also. A new career should scare you, but the benefits you get out of it will vastly outweigh any previous fears. So, if you feel it’s time to make a change in your career, you might as well go for it and see what happens.