Changing your Career

Start with the basics

If you feel like you are wanting to change careers, it can be tempting to jump ship quickly, like ripping off a plaster. However, effective change should be made conscientiously to avoid disaster.

Before you change, identify:

• The root of the problem. Why you are feeling the way that you do? What is leading you to this change?

• Is this an issue with the job, the culture, the people? Have your plans needed to change now you know more about the route you were taking or the career itself? Has a door been closed to you?

• Are any of these things fixable with other means, for example could you follow your creative passions more in your own time?

• Are there any benefits to your current role and/or experiences? What have you learnt? About yourself? About the job or sector?

• What can you take away from where you are? This could be knowledge, but it can also be skills and contacts from your network.

• What will be the costs of changing your career? These may not be just financial costs, but also emotional or physical. For example, you may have to travel further to get the career you want or even completely retrain. Identify what will happen if you leave where you are now and how you can potentially mitigate some of these problems in advance so that you aren't surprised when they occur.

• What might you need to find/get before you can change career- particularly connections, qualifications or experience.

• What are your goals from this change? What do you want to have or achieve, and do you have any priorities? You don't want to end up in the same position you were in before.