Partner Article

Five steps to a new career

Have you ever found yourself thinking “It’s not a new job I need, it’s a new career”?

Usually this feeling comes when you have had enough of the job you’re in. Fed up, bored and in need of change. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about. You get home from work after another terrible day. On the way home you thought, “I’d love to hand in my resignation tomorrow and do that thing I’ve always wanted to do.“ You get in bed that night and start thinking about it. Suddenly, in your mind’s eye, you’ve quit your job, started work in this great new career. The new job is going great, you’ve been promoted or your business is growing and you are getting all the recognition that you don’t get now. Suddenly your stomach is full of butterflies, it feels real and exciting. In the morning you are going to hand in your notice and just do it. You go to sleep… and then you wake up and reality hits. What were you thinking? You can’t quit; get to work, there are bills to pay.

In reality the likelihood is you can’t just quit your job, there’s too much at risk and too much uncertainty. However you can start doing something because the fact is those feelings of boredom and change aren’t going to disappear. That daily grind of your job will take over if you let it. Days will become weeks. Weeks will become months and months years. Before you know it your career will be coming to an end and you’ll have been there all your life.

So what can you do? You can start by doing something today! Here are 5 steps to changing your career:

Imprint onto your mind that the only person who can make the change is YOU. If not you who? YOU ARE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR FUTURE DIRECTION! REPEAT AFTER ME “THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN CHANGE MY CAREER IS ME” Identify a career goal. What would your dream job be? Picture it, what does the environment look like? What does it sound like? Who is there at that workplace? Break the goal down into small steps starting from the goal itself. Work backwards in periods of 5 years, 3 years, a year and six months. How long will it take to reach the goal? Where do you need to be in 5 years to reach the goal? Where in 3 years? Where can you be in one year en route to the goal? Where could you be in six months working towards the career goal? Take action now. If not now when? Tomorrow? The day after? YOU HAVE THE POWER NOW, DON’T LET IT FADE! What is the first thing you can do in your career change? Is it researching the new career? Is it by visiting a careers coach? Is it spending some time to think about your career goals? Put some time aside within the next day and start doing things immediately. You’ll be amazed how far and how quickly actions will create progress. Write about the journey. Get a diary and keep writing. Write down what you have done and what you will do. Writing down steps will help you to focus, writing down achievements will enable you to reflect on how far you’ve come.

Your perfect career is within touching distance. No one is going to give it to you, you’ve have to reach out and grab it. Once you start grabbing you can say good bye to the boredom of the job you are leaving behind.

Daniel Knowles is a Careers Coach with Lancaster ICV & a Placements Manager at the Lancaster University Careers Department.

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Daniel Knowles .