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Are You Ready for a Career Change?

Posted: 4th November 2015 11:21

Wanting to change careers and being in a position where you are ready for a career change are often two entirely different things. Sometimes, there are factors in our lives which prevent us from an immediate change. This doesn’t mean that you will never be able to pursue a different career, but rather that if you try to make a change in your career path whilst under many other pressures, you probably won’t be as successful as you’d like to be. Before you embark on a career change journey, it’s important to carefully assess how ready you are before making any final decisions.

Are You Ready Financially?

Sometimes changing career will mean that there has to be some time in between jobs where you are not earning as much as you are used to, or even not bringing in an income at all. Before making any final decisions about changing careers, you will need to ensure that you are ready financially in order to cover your bills and other expenses during this period of time. Many people who decide to change careers also find that they will need to enrol on educational courses and other programs, in which case you will also need to make sure that you can afford to pay any tuition fees.

Are You Ready Academically?

Although you may be at the top of your field in your current industry when it comes to academics, the career change that you are hoping for may require you to study a whole new subject. For example, if you are a business manager looking to pursue a career as a nurse, you will find that you will most likely need to start your education almost from scratch in order to be suitably qualified to work in your chosen career. For many mature students, the idea of going back to college can be quite daunting. However, you may wish to consider online learning courses, which you can even complete without having to leave your current job. South Dakota nursing degrees and many others are available to study online and offer complete flexibility and the ability to study from home.

Are You Ready Personally?

When it comes to making a decision about a career change, it is one that will most likely have a lasting effect on your life. Before you make any final decisions, it’s important that you ask yourself why you are doing this, and ensure that the reasons are valid. For example, if you are pursuing a career change simply because you don’t like your boss, you may be better off applying to similar jobs instead rather than a full change of career. On the other hand, if you have realised a calling or have your heart set on a different career because it’s something you really want to do, you are more likely to succeed.

Have you made a drastic career change? How did you know when you were ready to make the final decision? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.