Blog
Starting a New Career Path: How to Properly Educate Yourself
People change careers for many different reasons. However, the most common reasons are security, salary and advancement opportunities. When you first graduate college, the career path you choose may suit you at the time, but as you grow older and start a family, your needs can cause you to make different life choices, and this can include changing your career. The good news is that you can do this successfully if you find out everything about your new chosen career, the job requirements and then work toward obtaining the necessary skills.
Your New Career
The first thing you want to do is choose a new career carefully. Maybe you have a desire to work with people in a nurturing environment, or you love designing things like clothing or buildings. Before you commit your time and leave behind a good paying job figure out exactly what interests you and if this new career will be the right fit.
Learn the Job Before Switching
If you are serious about leaving your current job and trying something new, taking a few classes or even volunteering to provide services for free at a facility to learn more about the job is an excellent way to see if this is a career path you want to embrace. You might determine, after hands-on experience, that it only looks good from afar and that you are better suited to stay in your current career field. For example, if you're a nurse and want to use your skills to help older people look younger and feel good, try it out first.
Research
The most important part of finding a new career that suits you is doing thorough research of the field. Check on different aspects like the starting salary, advancement opportunities and industry trends. It's also important to know the requirements and regulations of the industry. For example, if you plan to become an independent over-the-road truck driver there are licenses, registrations and regulations to learn about and secure. The EPA recently imposed strict standards for emissions beyond the standard smog checks. The guidelines affect older trucks prior to 2011 and replacing a rig or making the required upgrades per the department can be costly. It's important to know ahead of time not only the business but also any requirements.
Acquired Skills
Every job also has a list of required skills and in many cases, some sort of degree. Although, on the latter, many companies will overlook the level of degree in order to hire a person they feel has the skills and the ability to learn. There are many skills that you acquire from one job that you can transfer to another job. For instance, if you are currently an architect and want to become an engineer, you already have excellent focus, communication skills and can work independently. So when it comes to an architect vs. engineer you have much of what a company is looking for already.
If you're serious about changing careers, you can do it. Before you make the final decision, do some research on the industry, learn the necessary skills and required programs, and if you’re able, get some hands-on experience. This way, you'll know if this is something you want to pursue or if you're best staying right where you are.
Comments