What you need to know before making a career change

The modern workforce is drastically different to what it was in decades past. Working with the same organisation for an entire career span is virtually non-existent in 2018, at least for remotely recent graduates. Even staying within a single industry isn’t as common anymore, with the average young Australian likely to experience five different careers and 17 separate employers over their lifetime.

It’s natural that some people will become disenfranchised with their choice of career at some point in their life and often this can lead them to re-evaluate what they want to be doing in order to be happier. In many cases, this will be based around picking a new career, but there are a few things to take into account before making this decision.

Do some research

Prior to ditching your current livelihood, be sure to investigate what you want to do next, because you want to choose something that’s going to fill the void you’re experiencing. If you’re a lawyer that’s sick of being stuck in an office, you’re probably better off trying a profession where you work outside rather than going for something else similarly white-collared (accounting, for example).

Identify what it is you don’t like about your job

While you may have developed negative connotations about a profession, it might be a particular segment of your job that is the root of the problem. Perhaps there’s something specific that’s bugging you (you’re a journalist passionate about sport but your role is covering local politics) or maybe you have conflict with a colleague. This is a good way to work out if it is your choice of career, rather than specific issues in the workplace, that is causing you angst.

Talk it out

This definitely shouldn’t be a rash decision and the best way to gauge whether it’s a good idea is to seek counsel from other people. Speak to close friends, family members, trusted colleagues and if you know anybody working in an area you’re interested in pursuing, ask whether they enjoy what they do and why.

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