According to experts, fear is the one thing that usually stands between people and the achievement of their dreams. Although it is natural for you to be afraid of what’s to come after you change careers, you should not let this fear of yours hinder you from doing what’s best for your professional life.
2. According to
experts, fear is the
one thing that
usually stands
between people and
the achievement of
their dreams.
Although it is natural
for you to be afraid of what’s to come after you change
careers, you should not let this fear of yours hinder you
from doing what’s best for your professional life. This
isn’t the easiest thing to do, but by following the steps
below, you will be able to prepare yourself for the big
changes to come and you will also have the courage to
face and overcome all your fears.
#1 Determine the risks of your career reinvention.
Needless to say, you have to know first what’s causing
you to be scared of switching careers. You can break
down your fears by asking yourself these questions:
- What are the advantages of pursuing a different
career?
- What is so scary about it?
- How bad are things going to be if it turns out
your decision was wrong?
- How are you going to overcome the bad
consequences of your decision?
- What do you need to make this move less risky?
#2 Understand the fact that fear is just part of the
process.
Don’t you ever think that you are the only coward
person in the world worrying about the effects of
switching careers. So many other people out there have
been planning to change careers but cannot do so
because of their fears. Acknowledge your own fears,
but don’t them cause you to doubt yourself and your
abilities.
#3 Take it one step at a time.
Once you have a clear idea of what you are scared
about, it’s time for you address them one by one. It is
very likely that your fears are all in your mind. Thus,
when you have successfully dealt with your smallest
fear, you will find that everything will follow, and you
will have your self confidence back. This is also what life
or career coaches do. They allow you first to look deep
in yourself so you could see what’s bothering you the
most. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself because
this could just make things worse for you.
#4 Forget about the past and live in the present.
Many of those who are hesitant about changing careers
have had bad experiences in their work and careers.
Perhaps they were once told by their superiors that
they were not valuable members of the team, and that
they needed a lot of work to do to become better. If
such incidents have happened to you in the past as well,
you had better put them all behind you. Instead, look at
what you have accomplished and keep believing that
you have what it takes to succeed in any career you
wish to pursue.
Are you now ready to
pursue a different
career path? It
doesn’t matter if you
don’t think your
present job is the
right fit for you or
you just want to try your luck in a different field; taking
your career in a new direction can make you either
satisfied or miserable. Thus, it is important that you
3. come up with a concrete plan on how you are going to
change careers. What you will read below are the
common mistakes career changers make that you have
to avoid to make sure you don’t ruin your chances of
having a more fulfilling career.
Switching careers just to run away from a terrible job.
We all experience being in a terrible work environment
and situation, but this should not drive us to find a
different career to pursue. If you are unhappy with your
current job, there are ways you can address this. First of
all, you need to identify what it is that’s making you feel
miserable at work. If you have issues with your
coworker or even your employers, you should at least
try first to talk things over. At times, looking for another
job in the same field is a great solution to workplace
stress.
Not having a plan of action.
If you are serious about pursuing a different career, you
may be tempted to just go for a popular or familiar one.
Actually doing it is a clear sign that you don’t have any
clear career plan. If this is the case, you may just end up
being farther from the right career track. You can avoid
this by doing intensive research first. Once you have
made an assessment of your own skills and character
traits, look around for a job or career where your
qualities will fit. Think hard before making decisions, or
better yet, consult anyone who has more knowledge
about career planning.
Expecting to be an instant success.
Anyone who decides to change careers need to accept
the fact that they may have to start from the bottom
once again. This isn’t easy to do, especially if you have
established yourself in your current industry. But take
note that you will not be who you used to be in a
different field. Thus, be ready to start from scratch and
work your way to be on the top again.
Taking for granted the need for training.
Changing careers usually means having to acquire new
knowledge and skills. This makes a lot of sense because
the skills you may have developed over a period of time
in your job may not be what your new career demands.
Thus, you have to be open to the idea of perhaps going
back to school to get some certification, or even the
need to invest in skills training and programs.
Otherwise, you will have no other choice but to go for a
career where advancement is almost impossible.
Considering how
tight the
competition in the
job market is, it
could be hard for
you to obtain
immediate success
and complete
satisfaction in your job. Thus, you should not stop
looking for ways you could create opportunities to
advance your own career. It is important that you invest
in developing your skills so that you will possess all the
qualifications and traits that employers are looking for
in a job candidate. Otherwise, you may end up getting
stuck in your career. Learn these mistakes that other
people make, which then prevent them from moving up
in their jobs and careers.
1. Unwillingness to confront change.
In many cases, you will only be able to find great
opportunities for your career if you willingly get out of
your comfort zone. If you take a look at the most
successful people around you and try to know their
past, you will discover that all of them have had to take
risks and do things they were not comfortable with.
Change is a chance for you to learn new things, so you
should not avoid it, but instead embrace it and use it as
a tool for developing yourself.
2. Resistance to maturity and development.
4. If you have been doing the same job for the last 10 or
15 years, you should ask yourself what is actually
keeping you in that job. Of course it is possible that you
are so passionate about your job that you feel it is what
you want to do for the rest of your life. But then again,
there is also a possibility that you just don’t want to
bother leaving your current career and finding
something else. You may not like the idea of having to
train once again to qualify for another job or career.
When you do this, you are actually preventing yourself
from learning and acquiring new and more valuable
skills.
3. Reluctance to market oneself.
Even if you are employed, you shouldn’t stop marketing
or promoting yourself. This doesn’t mean that you
should make it known to everyone that you are looking
for a new job, though. What is meant here is that as you
meet other professionals even in other fields, you
should not hesitate to talk about yourself and share
your expert opinions. Aim to grab people’s attention
with your wit and experience. By doing this, you are
giving them reasons to remember you and want to work
with you in the future. This is a huge advantage on your
part, especially if the time comes that you feel you are
ready for changing careers already. This way, you will
not have a hard time looking for a place to go, because
they will actually be the ones to chase you.