Are you in the wrong career? Do you wish to switch or change your career path to a new one? This article is for you. You will get to learn a few steps on how to do that:

The First Step: Making The Decision

This point may seem unnecessary, but it is quite vital. In fact, the chances are you have already decided that you need the change. However, before you move forward with your plans, it is wise to seek advice from those close to you or trust. Talk to your mentor, spouse, your close friend, and others. Your close friends will tell you if you are taking the correct step.

The Second Step: Identify The Direction To Take

You have to ask yourself this question: where are you going? It is one thing to know what you do not want, but it is another to know what you want. In other words, you can truly hate your job all you want, but the truth is that you do not want to be unemployed.

Therefore, the best way to tackle this is by making a list of careers you are considering.  Then go through your list and identify how viable each choice is. Remember, be honest with yourself. For example, assuming that you are an accountant but wish to be a ‘ballroom dancer’ and probably do not know how to dance that well, the best thing to do is take this option off the table.

Although it is important to have an ultimate career choice, remember that you still need a plan.  If you think and take your ideas like a ladder, sometimes you cannot know what is at the top until you get there. However, do not confuse a lack of direction with a lack of ideas. Remember, there are some techniques that will work for you, but the same techniques will not work with others. Things are changing rapidly, make sure that you are up to date with the current news in your chosen career. Take a look at this article from Dunbar Education.

The Third Step: Remove Obstacles

Everyone you know or close to you know already know that you hate your job, and they know that you want to make a career change. However, yet you have not started or done it: what is different about today?

What has happened that has given you the drive to act? What prevented you from making the changes before? Do all the challenges that existed before still there? Do you have new obstacles? If they are there, why are they there? What steps do you plan to take to get around them?

The Fourth Step: Assessing Your Skills

It is wise to gain other authorization, accreditation, or degree before making the career change.  Research has proven that women particularly struggle with this step.  As such, it is important to go through the career description and needs.  This is where education, skill, the desire to achieve comes into play. Reviewing past completed tasks to see if you had an opportunity to perform specific tasks listed. The chances are, if you look deep, you will find that you have the experience needed.

The Fifth Step: Volunteer

Take advantage of external volunteering opportunities or organizations to test drive your skills in your new career. In anything you want to do, chances are; there is an organization that will accept your offer of free labor. As such, you can try accounting, marketing, grant-writing, sales, event planning, website development, legal advice. Recruiting, project planning, contract writing, etc.

Growing your network is a benefit of volunteering.  In other words, volunteering gets you in a position where you get access to the information you did not know as well as meet a whole host of people within that career. This is the access you cannot get if you remain within your comfort zone.  Allow people to know what you are working to accomplish and the career change you intend to make. You never know, you may get the assistance you need.

The Sixth Step: Build Or Cultivate Your Network

This is a step or thing that must be done every time and not just when you are thinking about getting into a new job opportunity. Remember, building a network takes more time than cultivating an already available network.

Take full advantage of your networks by asking for advice, especially from those already working within the same career you want to join.  Because of their experience, they are in a good position to tell you the ins and outs of the industry. Furthermore, they can introduce you to new contacts and give you advice when indeed.