Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve worked for a while after college and realize that you declared a major that you simply don’t enjoy anymore. Your education and college degree will serve you well no matter what field you work in. You have a full and productive future ahead of you so you’d better make sure that the work you do is enjoyable to you. Below are some tips for making your career transition into a new field:
Tips for Career Transition
1. Keep your hobbies out of the mix. While it may be a pleasant thought to imagine your love of dogs parlaying into a new career choice, it may not be the best idea. Hobbies and personal interests are a great way of diversifying yourself and enjoying your off hours. Turning them into careers isn’t always quite the nirvana you think it might be.
2. Volunteer first. Before you switch tracks (and cut yourself loose from your paycheck) spend some of your free time in various areas to see where your interests lie. There are volunteering opportunities in more areas than you can imagine and one of them just might give you a glimpse at the kind of work you’d like to transition into long term. That business degree that you earned in college could serve you well if you end up working for UNICEF or The Red Cross, for example. Spend time as a volunteer to see if your passions match your professional interests.
3. Don’t leave your current job until you’ve feathered your nest. While your first job out of college might not have turned into the best choice for you long term, it is a good way to pay your bills and save while you decide what is next for you. Pay off high-interest credit cards, keep current on your student loans and build your savings account before you move on. “Plan B” won’t likely be cheap, especially if you have to start as the low person on the totem pole once again. In the long run, it’ll be worth it.
4. Network, network, network. Get in front of everyone you can think of who is somehow related to the type of business that you want to get into. You know how it works from your efforts in finding your first job out of college, right? You never know who might know someone who can open a door for you.
There’s nothing wrong with changing career paths several times in your life. Your college time served as a meaningful transition between adolescence and adulthood and provided plenty of examples you can draw from when interviewing. Don’t settle for anything less than a career that you are happy to share your life with, even if it was your major. Each day provides an opportunity to evolve.
Career Transition: You Can do It. About the author: Alan Greene has written dozens of essays and articles about online degree programs, scholarships, and career preparation.
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