Long gone are the days of graduating college and going to work for a company for the rest of your life in one career area. This is the new era of lifelong education and frequent career change. Career change seems like a daunting process. Where do you begin? Start with understanding your own motivations.
Why should you change careers?
When you have been in a job and career for too long, you will know it. Boredom will become your enemy and you will spend time trying to fill up your day with non-work related activities. You may start to feel less motivated. If you are actually disgruntled, you have stayed in the job much too long.
Just because you went to school to be a math teacher and planned to stay in that career for good, does not mean you have to do so. Perhaps you can start by looking at a career path that is closely related to your existing position, which may give you a head start on the qualifications. A math teacher may decide to pursue a career in managing other math teachers, running the school administration or getting into a professorship job as opposed to junior high school math.
Develop a plan to meet the qualifications
Many times, changing careeers as a professionsl will mean you need to go back to school or at least take a few on-line courses to get your credentials up to speed. This may be the more time consuming part of the process, but the good news is you can usually stay in your present job while you are preparing for your next one.
Find a person who is already in the type of position you are seeking and meet them for an informational interview. Explain to the mentor prospect that you are investigation a new career focus and would like to talk to them about the ups and downs of the job as they perceive it to be.
Practical considerations of career change
When you feel you are ready to actually move forward, most people will not have the luxury of quitting their existing job and looking for a new career position on a full time basis. Unfortunately, changing careers can take much longer than looking for a new job in the same field.
One way to get a head start is to networking now with people in the new career. Call your mentor or other professional to inquire about professional groups you can join to interact with others in the field. Attend the meetings and get to know people. Tell them you are looking to make a career change and ask for input, advice and job leads.
Be assertive in your search, but not pesty. Understand that it will take a long time to get what you want, but with motivation, perseverance, good credentials and a winning attitude, you will achieve your goals.
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