Ten things you need to know and consider before making a career change:
1. Your interests
Ensuring a job is a good fit for your interests will help you to be happy over the long term in your new chosen career.
Choosing a career that requires skills that do not come naturally to you may mean you will struggle with day to day tasks and have difficulty achieving success in your career.
3. Your values
A mismatch between your job and your values is the quickest road to burnout. Ensure that your new career fits with your own personal values before committing to the job.
4. Requirements to get hired
Understand exactly what employers are looking for in new employees. If you are missing some of the major skills or experience required to get hired in your new job, find a way to develop those areas.
5. Day to day tasks done on the job
Sometimes a job is not quite what you think it is. Most jobs have tasks that are done behind the scenes that you wouldn’t know about unless you researched the job in detail. The best way to find out this kind of information is to talk to someone who already does that type of job you are considering.
6. Typical work environment
Determine whether you would be sitting at a desk all day, out in the community meeting with clients or working outside. Will you be working independently or as a part of a team? Depending upon your work preferences, some work environments will be a better fit for you than others.
7. Physical requirements of the job
This information is particularly important if you have any health concerns. Does the job require repetitive activities, or heavy lifting. These requirements may be a cause for concern if you have injuries or other health issues that you must take into account when making a career change.
8. Salary
What is the typical starting salary in your new field of work? What do people who have been working in the field for several years typically make? Ensure salaries in your new chosen field meet your needs and expectations.
9. Labor market
Are employers hiring people in your new field? Will you need to commute or move to realistically expect to find work in your field, and is that acceptable to you?
10. Long term outlook
What kinds of jobs are people who have been in the field for several years doing? Are there opportunities for promotion and advancement that fit with your needs?
It does take some work to find this information. Considering the fact that a person who works full time typically spends about 2000 hours a year at work, it’s wise to do some good research first to ensure you spend your 2000 hours doing something that is rewarding and meets all of your needs.
