Tips on How to Start a New Career
Whether you’re bored or dissatisfied with your work situation or just want to do something different, making a career switch is life changing and the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.
It takes a lot of energy and can be a bit stressful and overwhelming at times when changing careers at any age. It’s also a very exciting time and when you mix motivation and energy with a well thought out plan, progress toward your goals is a sure thing. It’s only a matter of time before you become an expert and start reaching your potential in a new chosen career.
If you were to have a good vision of what it is that you want to do for the future, it would make the switch a lot easier and quicker.
Be sure to take the time necessary to discover just what it is that you really want. The job or career will, most likely, be for many years to come, so settle on a specific plan to accomplish the pre-set goals. Taking an organized approach is important for best results no matter what the reason for the desired change is.
If you’re confident and know exactly what you want and where to start then you’re in a nice position to get off to a great start with lots of enthusiasm and positive energy. If you don’t quite know what it is that you want to do with your working future, the process can be somewhat slower. This is simply because of the time that it takes to reach a career choice.
Below are 9 tips on how you can start a new career and be your own boss:
- Make a well-thought-out list of what you are good at and what you enjoy doing (that might be two different lists). See just what your talents and interests are. Be sure to write everything down neatly, take your time and follow these steps.
- What have you done in the past and what can you do now? Do you have any limitations, age perhaps, or a disability? Is a work from home situation best for you as it is for so many others?
- Considering the above, what would you really like to do? Make a list of 3-4 possible career choices, then decide on one of the choices and focus on that completely. Make sure that you will be able to perform the career duties right into your retirement years.
- Research, study and learn everything that you can about your newly chosen career and become an expert or authority within the boundaries of your chosen field.
- Don’t stress but keep your present job as long as you need it. It’s always best to not be in a rush but to be thorough, and become an expert, a go-to guy in your new field.
- Continuously increase your learning. Additional training and practice can only make you more valuable as well as ready and able to take advantage of any opportunities that might arise. Leave the TV off and read something or watch a video that is related to the new career choice for a couple of hours per day or night.
- Join a community of active like-minded individuals online and/or off. A nice active group or community of people all involved in the same activity and offering a helping hand to one another can really benefit the growth process. When there’s a question just ask and most likely a few from the community will be quick with an answer and help you through the situation. A good community of like-minded individuals is a great tool to use, and you can answer the questions of others, on a regular basis.
- Confident yet? Start your search for clients, employers or opportunity online and apply everything that you’ve learned in the research and study mentioned in #4. Be the best that you can be each day and the results will be maximum growth for your new career and compensation too.
- Be your own boss and build your own business online. Once you can help others it’s time to earn an income and there are billions of daily internet surfers, many will click on your website and possibly purchase a product that is being promoted on your site. Maybe they will even become a repeat customer.
All of the steps above can be re-applied to start a new career and be your own boss in another field.
Once you’ve made the decision to switch careers and know what the desired course is, you are really headed in the right direction. When I say “know what the desired course is” I mean a well-thought-out plan of action and not just a hoped-for end result. When you are at that point in your journey all that you need to do is stay on course and gain ground each day and you can’t help but reach your goals.
Sounds easy right? As simple as that sounds, nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without a lot of time, effort, perseverance, and usually finances invested in the project. There will be continuous challenges to learn, apply knowledge, and troubleshoot problems, but that’s normal and these things need to be welcomed and patiently overcome.
It’s all part of our learning process and with each challenge overcome we become stronger and more knowledgeable about our new job or career experience. After a short while, you’ll become somewhat of an expert in your own niche and will be able to train or help others on their career trail as well.