A career switch is the scariest best thing you could do
Let’s see if this rings a bell.
You are in a position that’s okay. Nice pay, flexible time, good colleagues, no extra hours, no rushes… A dream job that you hate to do. You always wanted to be [dream job], but you stepped into this role, and it worked so far. Yet, you feel it’s not perfect, but finding another job is like the most stupid thing you could do… or is it?
I, myself, found 9 years ago with a job. Not perfect, but not bad at all for a starter. Good pay for a graduate, interesting, and in my niche. Or at least, the niche I decided to take when I finished my studies. It was easy, there were lots of vacancies, I did it before –it was the safest call.
Fast forward to a couple more jobs later, all for the same role. I noticed one day something was wrong. Something didn’t completely work in my dreamed life. I was doing something I really didn’t like. Name the reason: not enough freedom, a neverending feeling that you are not contributing to improving anybody’s life (not even mine), seeing others get higher pay, or basically, you simply were mistaken, and that role you chose when you were 18 (and we all know we’re really mature at 18), is probably not a great fit for you. Oops! Now you’re stuck. Except you aren’t.
How can I switch careers? I’ve done a long way already
One of the biggest obstacles you’ll find in your path (many times from other people, most of the time coming from yourself) is that, come on, let’s face it, you’ve been in this role for so long that it doesn’t make sense to switch anymore.
I’ve been there. You try convincing yourself, but you know it won’t last long.
There’s nothing wrong with switching careers. Think of it the other way. The fastest you switch, the shorter you’d have been in your previous position!
Don’t pay attention to those that don’t let you fly. Even if it’s your current boss, trying to undermine you (so that you have to be there forever).
But I will start as a rookie again! I won’t earn that much anymore
A lot of people forget that not everything is having experience in the role, but there exist certain abilities that are required for every job, and they need to be learned in a real job. You’re already one step ahead of others. Congratulations!
For sure, you won’t earn the same as before, but switching to a better job will be much easier, and you’ll be able to raise your pay faster than before. You’ll be as you were in no time. In my case, when I switched, it took me 7 months to earn even a little more than before.
Even if you earn less in this new job, you’d be happier, so you may not need to cope with expensive stuff to keep you happy.
Okay, let’s switch!
Great! The most difficult decision is done. Now, how should you switch? Fast, so that the pain goes away quickly, or slow, so that you can switch without any danger for your personal economy?
Quick! Like removing a bandaid
The best you can do to switch jobs is finding out the requirements for that job. Then, when you know that, go for it! Quit your current job, and focus 100% of your time on achieving that. Keep studying, keep applying for jobs, and at some point, earlier than what you expect, you’ll be able to switch to your first new-life role!
Since this is quite adventurous, you may need to have at least a few savings to cover your expenses ahead. Maybe you can even ask for help from your partner or family. Being in good company is great to do a quick, great, painless career switch.
Slow! I prefer to stay safe
Maybe you’re worried that the change will be too much. Maybe it’s not a simple role change, maybe it’s a complete life change, like switching from being an electrical engineer to a carpenter. You’ve done some work as a hobbyist before, but nothing more. Maybe completely switching at once, studying and finding your new company or clients might take too long. Maybe you’re not ready.
Maybe, maybe, maybe! Enough of saying maybe, start saying willbe! Take your free time, study, apply for positions… Do the same thing you’d be doing the fast way, but during your free time! You’ll have to spend quite a lot more time on that.
What’s the difference, you ask? It’ll take longer, but you’ll be in a better position if you find out that the requirements are too many to be accomplished in a short span.
This is the path I followed, and boy, it took me 3 years to switch. You’re safe and sound, you still pay your bills, but you spend all your free time learning. It may take a toll on your life, so make sure to balance professional improvement with personal maintenance! After some time, I check back, and I truly believe that quick and dirty would have been a better option for me, but life is like this: you can’t know if you did better, because you can’t go back and check.
Shine and change in your current job!
Did you think there were only 2 ways? Nu-huh. If your position is only a tad different from what you really want to do, then maybe the best option is to negotiate with your current boss. Maybe there’s a chance that your employer needs a role you’d prefer the most, and you can convince them to give you a chance. You’re safe, you can (probably) switch back if anything goes wrong, and in any case, you’ll have a good experience pack to add to your resume.
Conclusion
Ah, the beloved conclusion. Does switching roles sound scary? I’d be scared to stay forever in a hated job! Irresponsible? Irresponsible would be if you weren’t switching! Crazy? You’re crazy if you stay in a job you hate! Great? Oh yeah, changing roles would be great!
