Surprisingly, if you’ve been considering a career move, you’re not alone. In fact, many people are unsatisfied with their jobs and want to make a change, but it can be scary if you don’t know where to start.
For some, it may be necessary to return to school. For others, you might be able to achieve a career transition through other means. In both cases, to make the shift as smooth as possible, it will be necessary to plan ahead before deciding whether or not it’s worthwhile to take the plunge.
Every well-planned change of careers begins with self-assessment. Evaluate your likes and dislikes, your goals, values, interests, and skills. You may be able to enter a new field using the same knowledge base you already possess. For instance, a computer programmer might hate working for an oil company, but he/she can quite easily find a computer programming job in another industry.
But even if you need to make a complete change, the process doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Once you’ve identified your core values and goals, you might have to go back to school to upgrade or add to your knowledge base. For people looking to enter an...