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The Career Change: Steps to Change Your Career lens is for anyone who is tired of their current job, but unsure if they can earn a living in a more satisfying manner. It benefits the Polly Klaas foundation. Learn more about Polly Klaas at Polly's Story. You can help the Polly Klaas® Foundation find missing children and prevent children from going missing, by building a lens for them at the Polly Klaas® Foundation Headquarters on Squidoo. Additional information can be found at the Polly Klaas® Foundation website.
To see why I felt a lens about career change belonged as a Polly Klaas Foundation lens, you'll have to read through to my final posting. Hey, don't skip ahead!
If You Want to Change Careers, Seek Relevant Experience
Seek experience that is relevant to the job you would like to do. Often this will be volunteer work, such as: helping at a hospital if you want to change to a medical field; or volunteering at an animal shelter if you want a career working with pets. But you might be able to find a low-level paid position that will be a first step towards changing careers. If you'd like to open a pizza shop, find a well-run pizza shop in a different neighborhood and ask if they need part-time help.You will get a much better idea what is really involved in your dream job if you see it up close, in addition to learning relevant skills. Few make a successful career change in a single bound. It's better to dabble in your desired field first.
When Planning Your Career Change, Ignore the Hecklers!
Recognize that there will by naysayers and learn how to ignore them. These naysayers could be in your own head or in your own family. I like to think about them as hecklers at a ball game. You have to stay focused on playing your best game. Don't allow doubters to draw your attention away from your goal.Here's a sample of what you might hear:
"What are you having a mid-life crisis?"
"Can you really afford to do this?"
"Remember what happened to your cousin, Alicia, when she tried to start her own business."
"Why don't you wait until your kids are through college before taking such a risk?"
"You can't run your own business, you have no head for money."
"You expect your job to be all fun and games, why do you think they call it 'work'?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
Don't let these comments get to you (like woman in picture). Balance them by getting a support network (see next section).
Get a Support Network
A career coach is great if you can afford one. But there are many less expensive options. And while a friend or family member can offer personal support, get some expert advice as well.ChangingCourse.com offers a free newsletter, teleconferences and several other programs to help you define or reach your career goals. Curt Rosengren writes the Occupational Adventure blog and will respond to questions from commenters. He has also written an ebook, The Occupational Adventure to help people jumpstart a career change. You'll find expert advice and support in a variety of forms, often at no or low cost.
Making a career change is typically a long and difficult journey. No one laces up a pair of running shoes and goes out and runs 26 miles. They sign up for a marathon where there will be plenty of other racers, support stations, and people to cheer them along the way. Take a route where you are not going it alone and you will greatly increase your chances of success.
Want a Career Change. Then Get Started. Now!
Get started. All journeys start with one step. Perhaps for now you simply want to get more information about changing careers. In addition to the resources I've already mentioned, check out the books and online resources listed below. No time to read? Find an audiobook and play it on your ride to work.
One of my favorite song lyrics is "Where were they going without ever knowing the way?" from The Way by Fastball. Planning is worthwhile, but sometimes we feel we don't want to begin our journey until we have all the answers. Where are we going? How will we get there? Now and then it pays to just get started and figure it out along the way.
One of my favorite song lyrics is "Where were they going without ever knowing the way?" from The Way by Fastball. Planning is worthwhile, but sometimes we feel we don't want to begin our journey until we have all the answers. Where are we going? How will we get there? Now and then it pays to just get started and figure it out along the way.
Dislike Your Job But Don't Know What to Do? Here are three books for you!
I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was: How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It
Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 05/11/2008)
I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 05/11/2008)
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
Amazon Price: (as of 05/11/2008)
Career Change Resources
- ChangingCourse.com
- ChangingCourse.com offers a free newsletter, teleconferences and more for anyone who wants to get more from their job than a paycheck.
- Career Change Wanted
- Collection of free expert articles, book recommendations and useful links for anyone considering a career change.
- The Occupational Adventure (sm)
- Curt Rosengren, a self-described passion catalyst, blogs on helping people identify their passions and create careers that ignite them
- Legal Zoom
- Learn about the different kinds of businesses - sole proprietorship, LLC and corporation -- advantages and disadvantage. Also how to register trademarks. Complete online legal document services.
- Changing Careers Bookstore
- Featuring books on changing careers with 5-star customer reviews
- Vocation Vacations
- VocationVacations offers you the chance to test-drive your dream job -- completely risk-free! No need to quit your day job. No need to tell the boss. Just spend a couple days on a VocationVacation, working one-on-one with a VocationVacations Mentor, to see what your dream job is really like.
Want to Squidoo to a Career Change?
Learn from the Squidoo Social Networking Guru
Why I Created My Career Change Lens As A Polly Klaas Foundation lens
There are two reasons I posted this lens off the Polly Klaas Foundation.
1) They were having a contest where the lens had to be created by March 20th. This gave me a goal.
2) One of the lens categories was the lens should be about a hope or hobby. Many of us have hopes of changing jobs. Given how many hours a day we spend at work, it is important that we act to make these hopes and dreams a reality. In establishing a vision for my publishing company, Aboon Books, I borrowed a story I heard at an Eagle Scout Court:
A boy was hiking and saw an eagle's egg roll off of a high cliff and into some bushes. The bushes broke the fall of the egg and it was unharmed. The boy looked at the cliff and knew there was no way to climb up and place the egg back in the nest. He came across a wild turkey's nest on the ground and placed the eagle's egg there.
The eagle hatched along with the turkeys. He was raised with the turkeys, which do not fly very far or very fast and only get a bit off the ground. One day two eagles soared overhead. The young eagle watched them and asked a turkey, "Why can they fly so high and we barely get off the ground?" The turkey answered "because they are eagles and we are turkeys." And so the eagle, who was raised as a turkey, lived as a turkey and never soared as high as his wings could have carried him.
The moral of the story is obvious: If you want to soar high, listen to your own self and not what some turkey says.
Follow your hopes and dreams!
1) They were having a contest where the lens had to be created by March 20th. This gave me a goal.
2) One of the lens categories was the lens should be about a hope or hobby. Many of us have hopes of changing jobs. Given how many hours a day we spend at work, it is important that we act to make these hopes and dreams a reality. In establishing a vision for my publishing company, Aboon Books, I borrowed a story I heard at an Eagle Scout Court:
A boy was hiking and saw an eagle's egg roll off of a high cliff and into some bushes. The bushes broke the fall of the egg and it was unharmed. The boy looked at the cliff and knew there was no way to climb up and place the egg back in the nest. He came across a wild turkey's nest on the ground and placed the eagle's egg there.
The eagle hatched along with the turkeys. He was raised with the turkeys, which do not fly very far or very fast and only get a bit off the ground. One day two eagles soared overhead. The young eagle watched them and asked a turkey, "Why can they fly so high and we barely get off the ground?" The turkey answered "because they are eagles and we are turkeys." And so the eagle, who was raised as a turkey, lived as a turkey and never soared as high as his wings could have carried him.
The moral of the story is obvious: If you want to soar high, listen to your own self and not what some turkey says.
Follow your hopes and dreams!
Do These Career Change Motivators Look Familiar?
Reader Feedback
Please let me know what you think. Feel free to ask questions too.
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CareerCoaching360
Great lens! You've put together a nice collection of resources here. Please feel free to stop by my career coaching lens when you get a chance. Be sure to leave a comment so I know you were there. Posted May 11, 2008 |
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ginapharr
Very good Lens always I rated 5 star for your valuable lens. This lens is providing more information about our good career, I think this will be useful to the people. Posted May 08, 2008 |
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durrob
This is a great lens, for a great cause. Posted January 13, 2008 |
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jadesmith
Posted December 28, 2007 |
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BFuniv.com
The opening idea about gaining experience in a field you are contemplating is too often overlooked. Lots of good material, thanks. Posted December 24, 2007 |
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Career Change Blog Posts
By running a daily search of blogs for "career change" posts, I've found an interesting mix of thoughts on the topic. Some are voices of people considering a career change and asking for advice, others have already changed jobs and are blogging about their experiences and finally there are employment experts, career coaches, authors, etc.
So take a peak at these snippets. They change every day, so there is always a new voice to hear, a fresh perspective.
So take a peak at these snippets. They change every day, so there is always a new voice to hear, a fresh perspective.
- Nursing as a mid-career change.
- The Boston Globe has a brief article regarding mid-career changes that many are looking into. Severa...
- Fear of career change? Take action.
- You're ready to make a big career change. You really want to get going. But you're held back by...
- seldom commented on 'Time for a career change?'
- :) got you.
- Storytelling, Intuition, Truck Driver Training, and Career Change ...
- Her career change tips have been cited The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Weekend, Redbook, Entrepre...
