4 Steps to Make the Career Change You’ve Been Dreaming About

TLDR:

1) Get specific on what your goals are, not your wishes.

2) Identify your resources. ?(Psst: they're broader than you think!)

3) Tap into your network now. (Not jump into DMs when you're desperate for something different Q2 of next year!)

4) Get an accountability partner. (If you'd held yourself accountable, you'd be there by now!)

Ok! If you're still reading, let's get into it!

The holiday season is nearly here. Halloween is just around the corner, and apparently Thanksgiving doesn't exist because Christmas swag is already for sale! Once Mariah Carey appears, it's officially "let's circle back next year" season.

So let's get into the home stretch of the year when our companies are rushing to finish projects, making plans for the new year, it's dark at 4:30 and you need to do your performance reviews!

Whether 2024 was phenomenal or just average, you were employed or not, you love or hate your job, you're likely also thinking about your career in some way. You're wondering if the current path your career is on is the right one or if now is the time to make the pivot you've been dreaming of. Perhaps you are tired of hating your job and dreading Mondays. Now, you’re wondering if 2025 is the year to make a change.?

Writing down 2025 career goals and making a half-hearted attempt at achieving them isn't going to work. To hit your goals in the new year, you have to be strategic, creative, and determined. If you're ready to put in the work required to pivot your career and hit your goals, below are 5 ways to do just that.

1.? Get Clarity on Your Goals

Many of us have wishes. We don't have goals. At the beginning of the year, we write down what we wish would magically happen.

As such, it shouldn’t be shocking that only 9% of US adults keep their resolutions.?To make sure you're not part of the 91% that abandon their goals in the new year, get clarity on the following: ?

● Why your goals are important to you

When you write down your goal, include why it's important to you. Mention the motivation behind your goal.

For example, if you want to change jobs for a better work/life balance to give you more time with your children, put it down.?If you want to have more time to get up earlier or get off work sooner to work out, say that, and plan for it.? You're far more likely to reach your career goals if there is a compelling reason behind it. So dig deep and find yours.

● The How: How exactly are you going to achieve your goals

After identifying?what?you want to do, you need to figure out?how?you will do it. Put together a plan that'll help you reach your career goal.

If you want to change jobs, break it down into different steps. Perhaps the first step would be to update your resume or get some coaching on how to interview.? The next step could be to get the word out about your job search.

Planning how you'll reach your goals makes them feel even more real. It helps you see how you'll get from point A to point B. Just ensure your plan is flexible and realistic.?

2.? Identify Needed Resources

You can't reach your goals on your own. If you could, you would have done so already. However, there's no reason to be ashamed of your inability to do it alone. As human beings, we are not repositories of knowledge. Sometimes, we need help.

Whether it's training or on-the-job experience, you'll likely need additional resources to help you reach your career goals.

I’ve partnered with Bleuprint – a learning management design firm- because I’m of the belief that everyone needs a career coach. ?The Career Academy could be the key to you getting the specific guidance you need in your career to make the pivot in the new year.? Check out the video to this self-paced career development program and get more information on the website here.

In addition, do you need to sign up for a training or certification program? Perhaps you need to build a digital portfolio that highlights your skills.? Maybe you need to talk to someone in the career path you want to pivot to.

Also, don't overlook any additional resource(s) you'll need to help you manage your personal life as you strive to reach your goals. If you need to take special training, will you need to arrange for a babysitter? Can you lean on your significant other to help pick up the slack at home?

Whatever you need to make your career goals a reality, figure it out now. Identifying the resources you’ll need and planning to get them will significantly affect your ability to reach your career goals in 2025.

3.? Tap Into Your Network

If we've learned anything in the past year, it's that our network plays a far more significant role in our career aspirations than ever before. I know you’ve heard the saying, it’s not what you know, but WHO you know? And I know you’ve heard that you can't wait until you need your network to start building and nurturing it. It'll be too late if you wait until then. So what do you do differently? Why don’t you reach out to others, who most likely want to help you

Go ahead! Crack open your contact list. Update your LinkedIn profile. Reach out to past and present colleagues. Get the word out about what you're looking to achieve in your career – but be specific about what your career aspirations are. That way, others can actually help you.

Tap into your network before you need to. There's nothing worse than having someone you haven't spoken to in years pop into your DMs asking for a favor. Don't do that to others.

Start chatting your connections up before you need to lean on them. Mention what you're trying to do with no expectation from them.?

Also, use this time to grow your network. Look into the people your friends, neighbors, and connections also know. You may find a few career gems there.

4. Get An Accountability Partner

There's so much more to reaching your career goals than one would initially think. You not only have to have the desire, plan, resources, and network to hit your goals. But you also have to have the mindset and confidence to do so.?Not all of us have that.

However, getting an accountability partner or a Career Coach is one way to combat that challenge. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to give someone else the same excuse you give yourself?

Perhaps you easily allow other commitments to supersede your commitments to yourself for your career or personal development. Explaining that to your accountability partner or coach will get really old quickly.

An accountability partner or career coach gives those of us who need them the additional push to do the things we promised ourselves that we'd do. They motivate us to stop making excuses and start doing.??

If we need clarity or a sounding board, they also provide that for us.?They are our no-nonsense support system that cheers us on.

Whatever your career goals, if you're serious about reaching them, you need to try a new approach. If you're tired of making and breaking resolutions, give these tips a try.

What's the worst thing that could happen? You reach all your goals and get to a career you love? :-)

Use the remaining months of this year to play how to pivot and hit your career goals in the new year.