Considering a Career Change? Crucial Questions to Ask Yourself

It is often the case that from the time we begin college until we graduate, some of us don’t have a solid idea about what we really want to do in our long-term career.

Many choose a job or career based on what our parents, friends, mentors or career advisors advise or direct us to do. Sometimes we associate the job function with the college major we chose when we were 17-18 years old at a time when we knew even less about what we wanted to do than “right now.”

Then, ten years later some of us find ourselves in a mediocre situation, with a growing sense of disappointment and dissatisfaction about our work and our place in it.

Is it too late to change direction and do something completely new or different?

It’s only too late if you ALLOW it to be!

In the post-COVID work environment, life is changing rapidly and dramatically. New careers, ideas, and opportunities are popping up all the time. Things we would never have thought possible just a few years ago have become household favorites virtually overnight.

Who would have thought it was possible for the biggest taxi company in the world to own no taxis? Who would have thought that the biggest online retailer doesn’t have a single product of their own to sell? Who would have thought a whole new industry could be born simply from fast-food delivery? And who would have ever thought that we could work for a major corporation 100 percent remotely?

What Do You Really Want?

If you want to change direction at any age, it is essential to contemplate and identify what you really want out of your life and the new career field you’re considering.

What interests me? What is my purpose? What fascinates me? What do I feel passionate about? What is going to make me feel fulfilled? What is my true superpower?

Take out the old-fashioned pen and paper and write down your answers to each of these important questions and others you develop and see where they overlap or have commonality. Hidden in there somewhere are the basic elements of a complete change of direction for you.

When you really dig into your lists, it’s possible to create a basic plan of careers, jobs, and opportunities to explore that can lead you to a life of fulfilment and happiness.

If you pursue that path as long as it keeps you happy and fulfilled, you’ll never look back. However, there might well come a day when life changes and/or you change, and it might be time to change direction again. It happens all the time in this rapidly developing world.

As much as you can, try to lean into change as hard as you can without fear because there is one thing that is absolutely true: change provides you with the chance to make the right choice for your future.

Exploring a New Career

Once you’ve gone through your lists and found some careers that will fulfil your passions and interests, you’ll want to consider other aspects of them, too.

Have a very candid conversation with yourself and try to determine things such as, why do I really want to pursue this career field? Are there skills and experience I already have that can be applied to this field? What education or training do I need? What are the job prospects? What is the earning potential and is it enough to sustain my lifestyle today and into retirement?

What is the typical career path for someone in this field? What are the day-to-day responsibilities? What are the challenges and potential drawbacks of working in this field? How does this career field align with my values and interests?

Who in my network can assist me or are there other connections that I can leverage to help me get started in this field? There’s a popular adage that states, “Your network is your net worth,” and as it relates to finding and securing new opportunities, there is nothing more important.

Are you an effective networker or are you an introvert who struggles with organically making new connections? In either case, in order for you to be successful in your new career endeavour, your ability to find people to help you on your path is critical.

One thing to remember is that networking is not about you. Networking is finding out as much as you can about the individual you’re engaging with and trying to find commonality between you so that you can create a rapport, develop trust, and build a connection so that you can have an effective relationship. Use that as the baseline for your networking, and you will find greater success than just focusing on you and hitting this new contact you met over the head with your elevator pitch.

Be creative. Think outside of the box with your engagement strategy. Ask for 15 minutes and maybe grab a real or virtual coffee. Hopefully, the conversation you have is so compelling, insightful and meaningful that 15 minutes naturally turns into a half hour or 45 minutes and you’ve really come away with a solid connection.

Take time to genuinely learn who that person is so you can then share who you are, what you’re new career desires are and allow that relationship to become a helpful element in your successful transition.

Do I Start My Own Business?

The allure of owning and building something for yourself is quite compelling, but similar to all of the considerations you’ll need to ponder for a new job, the same is true for becoming an entrepreneur.

Will it make me enough money to sustain my lifestyle today, take care of my family and also allow me to save for retirement? With the advent of social media and internet marketing, it’s possible to reach out to thousands of potential customers or clients all over the world without ever leaving home. The potential of making money is certainly there, but you might need to retrain and learn some new skills to reach out and get it.

What will others think? This is an age-old question that stops many people from making changes that could change their life for the better, forever. However, keep in mind that all the time that you’re worried about what other people think, say, or do, you’ll never be free.

While it’s very important in other contexts to manage people’s opinions of you, as it relates to what choices you make about your own future, you might consider the old maxim, “Whatever other people think of me is none of my business.”

We have no way to influence what others think of us other than by setting a good example. Let them think whatever they want while you go out and get things done! When it comes to being an entrepreneur, never let those who think it can’t be done interrupt those who are already out there doing it.

What am I willing to give up in order to create something really incredible? Many times, you’ll find that preparing for a new career encroaches on your current life. If this is the case, weigh the costs of time, money, and effort against your current life to help determine which aspect is more important to you.

Would you sell your car to fund a program where you could learn new skills, develop your market knowledge and explore new ideas? Would you give up your evenings or your social life to reinvest that time in educating yourself about the product or service market you’d like to enter? Are you willing to work weekends and evenings to study new concepts, ideas, or strategies? Will I be good enough to make it work?

Taking the New Step

For some people, the very fact that you’ve read this far indicates you’re searching for change, reassurance about change, and that something is pulling you forward towards change. You already considered that there is more to your life than that which you are currently experiencing, and you want to know what it is and get fully engaged with it, right?

Mindset is vitally important since it will help you overcome any obstacles that may arise as you decide to take action.

Your life is entirely under your control and what you do with it is your decision alone. Get busy, make some decisions and take action, and keep moving forward with your ideas and intentions.

The answers may not come overnight, but as long as you pursue what interests you, fascinates you and makes you happy, you will find the answers that you seek.

Beware of any criticism of your dreams and ideas from anyone you wouldn’t go to for sound advice. After all, opinions are ten a penny. Everyone has them, but all opinions are not going to help or support you.

Be relentless in your pursuit of happiness and fulfilment. Go at it like your whole life depends on it. Because it does.

If you are ready to create the change in your job and career that you desire, a coaching engagement with me can help you to recognize – and change – your assumptions, motivations and behaviors.

Visit?www.1988strategies.com ?for to learn how you can make the right strategic choices and maximize your career opportunities.

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