It has been suggested that the average American has between 5 and 7 job changes during their lifetime. That behavior makes sense in the land of opportunity as with effort, luck and timing a person can achieve the American Dream. While it may be challenging to stay stay motivated during a career transition, it is possible to reinvent oneself along the way.
Instead of fearing a lack of opportunity, implementing tangible steps to reinvent a career individuals pave a path to success. Doubters only need to look at cases such as American Industrialist Andrew Carnegie (who had experienced childhood hunger), actress Sarah Jessica Parker (born to an impoverished family) and high school drop out designer Ralph Lauren to see that it is possible. Admittedly, that prospect may be intimidating, however by accepting change is inevitable and knowing that there are options can make a transition go smoothly.
Be Honest
No job is perfect but when the bad starts to outweigh the good it is time to start moving forward. On the days when it seems like a good idea to hit the happy hour and vent out work frustrations, it would actually be a better time to enjoy some solitude, ensure that a resume is perfect and build a list of what work changes might make you happier. If that lists contains complaints about day-to-day activities (as opposed to management and coworkers), it is time to shift more than an office environment.
After understanding what it is about the work that is not enjoyable, write a list of what tasks you enjoy doing. While earning a diploma is a proud accomplishment, the task does not duplicate the real thing; that is why there are countless lawyers, marketers and engineers looking to move in a different direction. By letting passion backed by raw talent back a career reinvention, change is possible.
Play the Match Game
Thanks to technological advancements, exploring different career options are as easy as a web search. Once a person knows a bit more about what type of work they enjoy doing, they can explore the The Top 10 Tools For Career Planning and dive a little deeper.
A career changer needs to know everything about a future career before proceeding. That includes future job opportunities, competition, potential pay and what type of skills and prior experience is needed.
Make That Move
Making absolutely no effort to change will help ensure that an attempt at a career reinvention will fall flat. Although individuals with a job are encouraged to keep plugging away until they line up the next gig, the long term unemployed literally have nothing to lose. Instead, they should throw caution to the wind and start gaining new skills to help pave the way for a new future.
Acquiring new skills does not necessarily mean paying to earn a master's degree or enrolling in a program to earn an online bachelor degree, there are actually much more affordable ways to do that.
Career changers can volunteer their time for an organization, within that there are countless opportunities to pick up new skills. Individuals can suggest building awareness by implementing a social media campaign (allowing individuals to work on skills such as writing and pitching, essential to those who want to work in industries such as corporate communications), organizing fund-raisers (event planning is big business) or even bake sales (a perfect way to see test out if a creative cake recipe can be a platform for a culinary career).
Most these opportunities are not game-changers in themselves as volunteering does not bring home the bacon. However those new skills can legitimately be added onto a resume and be parlayed into paying opportunities. Once a CV has been tweaked, individuals should try to first get freelance or part-time work in the field. Each and every opportunity will result in new skills, experiences, connections and most importantly, the ability to earn even more money.