4 Things to Consider Before a Career Change

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career change

Aditi is hesitant to tell her boss about her decision to resign. She often seeks his advice on career and professional matters. Despite working hard and wanting to stay with the team to tackle challenging tasks, as she is determined to see the company’s marketing vertical succeed, she is currently performing well. She enjoyed her job and was excelling in her position until she started reflecting on the difficulties in other areas of her life. Realizing she couldn’t maintain a work-life balance, she decided to switch industries. Now, recognizing that this is the ideal moment for a career change, she wants to discuss all the factors with her boss before making such a significant decision.

Explore the 7 Tips to Grow in a Company for a Rewarding Career

When Aditi expressed her concerns and doubts to her manager, he saw it as the perfect chance to step in and provide further analysis. Recognizing her strong performance, he wanted her to gain clarity before making any decisions. To help her reflect, he asked her the following questions:

  1. How satisfied are you with your current role?
  2. What are your professional objectives, and how well do they align with the company’s goals?
  3. What factors are prompting you to consider a career change?
  4. What worries and obstacles are you facing?

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Role of a Mentor or Manager in a Career Change

Changing careers is a significant decision, especially when you’re doing well in your current role. Deciding whether to stay, leave, or switch careers depends on your expectations and how you handle challenges along the way. Sometimes, you need a mentor’s guidance to make wiser decisions.

Parth, Aditi’s manager, explained that a career change can take various forms, such as altering your position, department, key responsibilities, entering a new industry, or a combination of these. He emphasized that having clarity will simplify the process, regardless of the change you choose. A successful career move involves more than just a strong cover letter and CV; it requires a clear understanding of your job aspirations and goals.

Aditi listened carefully to Parth’s advice and began to thoughtfully consider and formulate responses to each of his questions.

Know more about How to Find a Mentor at a Workplace

Things to Consider Before a Career Change

So, here are the factors Aditi considered before planning a career change. All these considerations are essential to evaluate before making a career shift as your professional life depends on every decision you take thereon. Plan well!!

1. Evaluating your Current Career 

Assessing your current profession and work should be the first thing you do before deciding to make a move for a career change. Your need for change may occasionally appear before you comprehend the changes you seek. You may choose the sort of shift that is best for you by being honest with yourself. Also, you must ask yourself whether it is the organization or your current job that is preventing you from performing at your best. You should also make an effort to determine the aspects of your job that you like best and least. Many people take an interest in what they do every day but don’t see any opportunity for growth. 

Read about the Workplace Goals

2. Clarify your Professional Objectives

You may direct your efforts by being specific about the experiences you want to have at this stage of your career. Consider your ideal way of life in general. Imagine the steps that would make up your ideal day. How would you respond? What would you think? What lifestyle would you want for yourself moving ahead or after your profession reaches its pinnacle? Which talents would you like to continue using? What kinds of assignments, initiatives, or projects would you like to be a part of? Which leadership or career-development positions are you interested in being considered for?  What do you hope to earn?

Thinking about these issues will not only assist you in moving forward more successfully and without any regrets about not considering them earlier on in a career change. 

Know about the best ways to create a professional development plan

3. Find What Drives You for a Career Change

Discover “why?” What is pushing or inspiring you to change careers? The challenges would be easier to complete if you could come up with an adequate reason. Is your choice to change careers being influenced by your routine, pay, position, tedious job, work hours, location, the saturation point of the industry in which you are presently employed, culture, a lack of motivation on the part of your coworkers, or the attitude of your manager?

After all, it is quite acceptable to anticipate receiving a raise, a promotion, a leadership position, or some degree of flexibility at work following a certain experience or period. For a greater and better social standing, everyone aspires to achieve and advance oneself. However, changing careers solely based on considerations of salary is not a wise course of action. What one wants in particular and how they plan to get it should be crystal apparent to them. 

Must Read: Planning a Career Shift at 30? Get the 10 Pro tips 

4. Unmasking Your Concern

Look a bit deeper to discover what is bothering you, causing you to worry about your current profession, and motivating you to choose to change employment. It might be a special course you want to take to advance your career or your current position, it might be obligations in your personal life preventing you from accepting a leadership position, and you must be assuming you won’t be able to carry out and meet the standards set by the company. Perhaps there are certain benefits or compensation you’d want to get, or perhaps you just want to switch industries since you don’t see any prospects for growth. Are all these concerns motivating you to change your career? You can choose a course of action by giving these questions some thought. 

Know about the Best 10 Reasons for a Career Break

Conclusion

Aditi realized after her deep conversation with Parth that changing careers might take time. One can find a lot of fresh prospects with persistent self-reflection and careful analysis. When changing a position or starting an entirely new career, it is important to take into account elements like your motivation, corporate progression chances, business culture, reward culture, work-life balance, ethics, clarity, compensation, benefits, and recognition. Even if it is impossible to have everything at once, if you have thought about even a few of them, it will help you decide to change careers. 

Aditi relaxed and took a coffee break after taking a deep breath since she could see all she needed to consider before making a career change.

Find out more interesting blogs related to careers:

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FAQs

Ques: What to consider when switching a career?

Ans: Things like professional development opportunities, work-life balance, work environment, remuneration and personal career objectives must be considered.

Ques: How to decide if changing a career is the right choice and what is the right time to do the same?

Ans: There are a few universal indicators that it’s time to think about changing careers. For instance, you can experience boredom or burnout. You can feel uninspired and uncreative. If you’ve held a position for a long time, you may be looking for more challenges.

Ques: Is 30 too late to change career?

Ans: If you are using the accurate approaches, it may never be too late to change your job. Don’t give up if you’re in your 30s, 40s, or 50s. It all depends on the personal and professional goals. 

Follow Leverage Edu for more interesting articles on career counselling.

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