How to Successfully Change your Career

It’s completely natural to reach a point in your working life when you think it’s time for a new challenge or you want a totally new career direction all together.

From time to time we all get a little bit frustrated with our jobs, but before decide you want to give it up for good, stop and ask yourself; am I just having a bad day or has my job run its course and it’s time to be pro-active.

If you’re ready to bite the bullet and decide action has to be taken, the next big decision is whether it's a totally new job role, a different employer or a total career overhaul that you need.

Asking yourself some of the following questions may help you to work this out.

Are you satisfied with your career?
Weighing up what you’ve achieved in your career is a great place to start when deciding how satisfied you are in your current role. Make sure to consider whether you’ve:  

• Enjoyed the challenges you've met in your role.
• Been promoted in line with your talents.
• Achieved a salary that lets you live the way you want.
• Built up expertise in your line of work.

If the answer is no to 2 or more of the above then it’s probably time to consider shaking things up.

Are you enjoying your job?
Chances are if you’re no longer enjoying the day-to-day requirements of your job due to boredom or the lack of challenges, moving to a different department within your company, or to a different employer might solve the problem.

If you don't get the chance to use all of your skillset and talents, it’s probably worth questioning whether you’re well suited to a position in your line of work.

If you're dissatisfied with the job itself, changing department or employer may not improve things. So you may want to consider a more drastic change.

What kind of work do you want to do?
You may already have a good idea about what you want to do but it’s best to think about what your ideal job would entail on a day-to-day basis, for example:

• Less paperwork and admin.
• Working with different kinds of people, fewer people or in a team rather than on your own.
• More or less direction, micro-management or support.
• More outdoor work, more or less travelling.
• Working from home.
• Working more flexibly.

You may be able to negotiate any of the above examples within your current role. After all speaking to your manager may be able to help you with your problem.

How much money do you need to make?
This one’s absolutely Crucial! Would you be prepared to take wage decrease if it meant having your ideal job? Take a long hard look at you current finances and write it all down: outgoings, income and any extra expenses.

See where you can make cuts and get a very clear idea of exactly how much money you need to make over the course of the year.

Will you regret it if you don't?
In one, five or ten years time, will you regret not having made a change?