Should I Switch Careers?

For whatever reason, you’ve decided you want to make a big change. You don’t just want to switch jobs. You want to switch careers.

Switching careers is hard. It is not a decision that should be made in haste and it should be well thought out. In the end, only you can decide if it’s the right thing to do. Before you take the plunge, here are some tips you may consider.

• Tip #1: Take a deep breath. Clear your head. Turn all devices off. Focus.

• Tip #2. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to switch careers?” Why? That is the key to moving forward. Be an honest broker to yourself. Really think about it – why? Perhaps the why has been settled for a long while, like a side hustle you’ve always wanted to do full time, and you can skip ahead. But if you don’t have a “why,” switching careers may not be the best path forward.

• Tip #3. Ask yourself, “Am I ready to start at the bottom? That’s what you will be doing. Whether you’re going back to school or it’s the first day of your new job of your new life, you’ll be starting over. If you’re in the infancy of your career, a switch may not be as impactful, but if you’re thirty-five years old a career switch may mean making the kind of money you did ten or more years earlier. You’re experience in your previous career won’t necessarily balance out your inexperience in your new one. In some way, in some form, you will start at the bottom.

• Tip #4. Ask yourself, “Do I have the skills and emotional fortitude to switch careers on my own?” What we want and what we can pull off are different things. If you believe you would benefit from professional guidance, there are private career counselors who specialize in career changes and can help you develop a personal business plan to get you there. There are public resources as well. Research what’s available in your area.

• Tip #5. Talk to people who do what you want to do. You DO know what you want to do, don’t you? Because if you don’t, you’re going to have to go back to Tip #1 and reassess your answer to the question posed in Tip #2. You’ve taken the plunge and the next logical step is to pow wow with people who are successful at what you want to do. Set up some “informational interviews” with people if you can (and by “informational interviews” I mean “lunch”). The grass is always greener on the other side, and that may be the case. You’ll never know until you ask.

• Tip #6. Do a realistic assessment of your personal and professional landscape.

When you switch careers, there are more obstacles than moving jobs.

1. It may take more time.
   1. It may require further education.
   1. Launching a new business, if that’s your direction, isn’t something that happens overnight.
   1. How long can you last financially while you make the switch, or do you need to continue working until a switch can feasibly be made?
   1. Are you unemployed and something has to give?
   1. Do you have access to capital?
   1. What are your barriers to entry?
   1. Would you have to relocate?
   1. Want to Work from Home?

You get the idea. Go over every penny and contingency.

• Tip #7. Formulate a career plan and write it down. Based on your objective and comprehensive assessment, document the steps you need to complete to reach your immediate goal. Then decide what you want your next big step to be after that. And the one after that. Write it all down. Congratulations! You have a shiny new career plan!

• Tip #8. Execute plan with extreme prejudice. Now is a good time to remind you that switching careers is hard, so you must work twice as hard. You’re in it for the long haul. It’s up to you now.

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.