All too many people end up stuck in careers that they’re too scared to leave, but they also aren’t enjoying. This is extremely common and extremely understandable. You end up tied into a role, building your life around the income it provides you with, then being unable to leave for fear of losing that income and the other benefits that come hand in hand with the position. The pandemic, however, took the choice away from many of us. We found that the companies we worked for collapsed or that we were made redundant. Alternatively, we found ourselves reflecting on the lack of joy our previous roles were providing us with and decided to take the time away from the workplace to seek new options. The good news is that there are always other options out there. It’s never too late to step into a new career path. Here are some steps you can take to achieve this goal.
Retrain
You may find that you need to head back to higher education, or retrain through other forms of courses, if you want to completely switch career paths into a regulated industry. If you decide that you want to become a teacher, you may need a degree, as well as completing a specialist teacher training course relevant to the age group you want to teach. If you want to become a doctor, you’ll have roughly eight years of medical school on your agenda. If you want to become a lawyer, you’re going to have to study and pass the bar. The list goes on. Remember that there are multiple modes of learning that can make retraining more accessible if you have other commitments and responsibilities. Many institutions now offer part time courses, remote courses or hybrid courses to accommodate more people’s needs.
Practice Makes Perfect
Any new skill takes practice. The only reason that anyone is particularly good at anything is that they put time and effort into honing their skill. So, make sure to take time to practice the skill you want to ultimately monetise. This could be using telscope if you’re practicing dentistry, playing new songs on piano if you are becoming a restaurant or hotel pianist, trying out new dishes if you’re working in cafes creating menus, or anything else that is relevant to you and your individual position.
Starting From the Bottom
If you’ve established yourself well in the career that you’ve previously worked towards, you may find that you can’t enter a similar level position as your first role in a new field. For example, if you’re the CEO of a company that specialises in lawnmowers, you may not then be able to enter a role that pays as well if you switch to a role in highways management. In any field, you have to prove yourself and your capabilities. This often means starting from the bottom and having to work your way back up again.
These starter steps should really help you on your journey to a new role. With commitment, confidence and real drive, you will be able to get there!
