Capture Real-World Career Insight & Advice That Will Prep You for The Big Time

Making a Successful Career Switch

Q:   Dear Seymour, I can't seem to shake this nagging feeling that I am not in the right career for me. I just feel like it's time for a career switch. Any advice on making a very confusing and important decision more focused?

- Submitted by Erin Frederics, Lubbock, TX

A: Dear Erin,

If you wake up most nights anxious about which career path is right for you ... believe me, you're not alone. Contemplating switching careers is a big decision. It will have a major impact on your life and may even impact your family. Workers often find themselves overwhelmed or unsure of how to choose the right career or profession. As with anything in life, if you want to make your career change a successful one, make sure you prepare adequately before taking the leap.

While there are thousands of websites, books, counselors, professionals who can assist in this endeavor, here are the basic steps you should take and a few resources and tools to consider. Following these key steps will help you feel more organized and clear about the career change process.

Assess Yourself. How can you be sure a career is the best fit for you without understanding yourself first? Do a self-assessment of your interests, personality, values, preferred work environment and existing skills or talents. There are a variety of self-assessment tools that are tailored towards finding a career and are available at your local bookstore, online or even at your community library. Look for self-assessment resources that aid you in building a list of potential occupations.

Assess the Situation. Now that you've narrowed down the field of professions to ones that best suit you, your next step is to assess each of these occupations. Be prepared to spend some time researching each profession to understand the job's description, responsibilities, outlook in terms of future growth opportunities, required skills and/or training and of course, salary ranges. You can find this information on the internet, in bookstores, or libraries. Or, if you have friends or family members that work in the profession, ask to talk with them about it or shadow them at work.

Identify a Fit. Once you've done your self-evaluation and industry research, you should feel confident that you're making a well-thought out choice. However, to give you even more assurance in your decision, take the opportunity to explore the profession you've chosen. Try pursuing part-time work in your given career, or seek out volunteer or internship possibilities. These are low-commitment, low-risk ways to really understand the responsibilities and characteristics of a particular job.

After following all of these steps to choose a career path best suited to you, its time to direct your efforts towards landing your dream job! For advice and tools to aid your job search like writing a resume, or job interview techniques, visit our career center.