Are you familiar with this changing career advice? Follow your passion and you'll get a perfect career. The career advice is based on the assumption that you'll endure at hard times during your career change journey.
But in real life, the advice is easier said than done.
I agree that passion is a crucial element for a career change. However, your passion
won't bring you to your ideal career if you ignore your values,
mission, and strengths. In other word, instead of just following
your passion you need to make a thorough analysis of your life and career direction.
Keep reading my changing career advice to find out how to do it.
Top Ten Changing Career Advice
Let's say you have taken several career tests and have more than two career
choices.
How do you know which one is the best one? Here is how to find one...
Evaluate aspects of your current job that you dislike. What are your sources of dissatisfactions? Is it related to the content of your work or the environment with which you work?
Find out your career interests. Open up the reports of
career interest tests
you've taken to discover your interests' inclination. If you can identify that your job is somewhat close to your interests then
job content is not the cause of your job dissatisfaction.
Understand your passions. What activities excite you? Do you get joy and energy from your hobbies? Do they have any correlation with your career interests? If your career interests don't match with your current job content chances are slim that your passions are inside your job.
Assess your core values. What do you value high? Is it money, social
status, family, security, or challenges? In
managing career and family, which one gets a higher priority? Do you prefer
a job with a better salary or one that offers more time with family.
Identify your strengths or talents. If money were not an issue, what would you do naturally? Your strengths aren't skills that you master because your job requires you to have them. They are the natural competencies you were born with and developed during your childhood. So ask your parents and others who knew you well in your early life.
Detect your life's mission. "Why am I here?" is a common question you often ask yourself when you were young. The question is still valid if you want to know what to accomplish at the end of your life. Discuss this issue with your parents or others who influence your childhood's values.
Once you find your life's mission clarify it with your core values. When your mission aligns with your core values it'll supply additional energy you need during adversities.
From a careful and honest self-assessment you actually get a clue about your career choice. But
you'd
be better off if you conduct online comparative study of the fields. Also, develop the industries' network for informational interviews
and changing career advice.
Look for volunteer or part-time job related to the suggested occupations. You may take weekend
or night part time job to learn the content and the environment of your career choices one by one. At this step you can decide your best career choice based on the best fit with your passions, values, talents, and personal mission.
Take relevant training and education. Does your new career need a formal education or special training?
If so, get a weekend master degree
or an evening graduate degree program in a university of your locality or online.
When available, you may also ask your employer for a relevant job assignment to
help you develop necessary skills for the new career.
Set a realistic expectation. How wide is the gap between your current position and your ideal career?
For example, you're an older woman, what are the main obstacles you'll face along your career change journey? Develop an action plan to remove the obstacles and don't forget to reward yourself every time you take away one obstacle.
This changing career advice requires you to take a longer path in selecting an ideal career.
But it's worth your while because changing career is an extremely serious life
decision.
Got all the info you need? Now, it's your time to decide a career choice that meets
all the above criteria. Please use this
free decision making software
to find your perfect career (open in a new window). It's easy to use and will help you simplify this complex decision making process.
If you need additional changing career advice read these midlife career change
and career planning tips to take your career change plan to the next level.