Tired of Your Job 3 Steps to Pick a New Career

Tired of Your Job 3 Steps to Pick a New Career Tired of Your Job 3 Steps to Pick a New Career 1Even people who love their careers can get a little restless. As a career advisor, I’m always learning about new and interesting career options, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve thought, “I want to do that!” But what if you’re truly tired of your job, of the career path you’ve been on? It might be time to consider a change- time to pick a new career. Here are three steps to pick a new career: 1) Know that you don’t have to start from scratch. In reading up on this topic, I found this bit of advice in an article about choosing a new career on Forbes from Liz Ryan, founder of The Human Workplace, to be so very true, but not said often enough: “There really is nothing completely different from what you’ve done before. Unless you’re becoming a lion tamer or getting ready to ship out on a crab-fishing boat, you’re going to find that career paths in the business and professional worlds have much more in common with one another than you might have thought.” People who want to change careers are often stopped in their tracks because they worry that they’ll have to start at the very beginning. So keep that in mind as you move along the path to pick a new career. The vast majority of your skills and experiences will be, in some way, applicable to your search for a new career. 2) Focus on the “why.” Too often, career changers get caught trying to figure out WHAT they want to do. They start with what they’re good at doing- the skills they have. But what you’re GOOD at doing doesn’t necessarily match up with what you LIKE doing. Make a list of all the things you like doing, and then list the reasons WHY you like doing those things. For example… What you like doing: Why you like doing it Having dinner with friends: I enjoy the interaction and getting out and about Running: I don’t like to sit still, and I like to challenge myself physically Knitting: I like working with my hands, coming up with new patterns, and being creative In thinking about WHY our mystery person likes doing these things, it can be gathered that she is a people-person who likes to be on her feet and physically active, and who likes creative pursuits with lots of attention to detail. Which brings us to the next step… 3) Research careers that match your “why.” Think about your current job, and any past jobs you had. Were there certain tasks or skills that you enjoyed above all others, and WHY? Did they fulfill the same things that your favorite hobbies fulfill? Now it’s time to research new jobs and careers that meet your criteria for WHY you enjoy your hobbies, and why you enjoyed your past jobs. To research careers based on skills you have AND enjoy using, there are a number of different assessments online you can try. My Next Move: An assessment created by the American Job Center Network and O*Net, this assessment has 60 questions and presents you with really useful information when you’re done. EducationPlanner.org: A nice, quick assessment geared towards students, but useful for all ages. CareerOnestop Skills Profiler: Also related to the American Job Center Network, this assessment takes about 20 minutes to complete, and provides comprehensive results to help you take action. Once you’ve completed this research, you should have a list of careers to consider and move forward on. To pick a new career, you need to do a lot of groundwork and research. The tips in this article will help you with self-examination, identifying career fields you might be interested in. The next step requires you to learn more about those particular fields and start searching for jobs in those areas. Luckily, you can be confident that the careers you’ve identified are solid choices based on your interests and skills. Readers, are you trying to pick a new career? Do you have any ideas you’d like to share? Leave a comment and let us know!