Have an initial idea of what you really want to do It is often amusing to hear children’s career ambitions, which, if they come true, the world will have a surplus of firefighters and astronauts. As people grow up and mature, career aspirations typically follow their passion and gratification. Eventually reality hits, and people take jobs that balance passion with skills and opportunity.
But you don’t have to be stuck with your career once you’ve selected it. In fact, most successful people tweak their careers through their lives. The change could be subtle or dramatic, but it is what helps them stay on track with industry trends and make the best of their skills.
So to be clear: a career change doesn’t necessarily mean jumping from accounting to medicine — although that is an option for some. More common, it is a more subtle, yet critical, change, for example, from public relations to marketing, or even narrower from traditional marketing to digital marketing.
These changes are often triggered by job and industry demands that eventually produce new job opportunities for those who stand out for exceptional performance in one area or another. It goes along with defining a narrower specialisation that helps people excel.
So do you think your career can use a facelift? Consider the following points.
Most fulfilling aspects
Any job is a combination of things you want to do, things you have to do and things you wish you could do. A job that is high on things that you have to do and low on more gratifying aspects can be disappointing. You may be spending your day aspiring to find job tasks that challenge you mentally or capitalise on your strengths.
Identify the areas that you love about your job. Customer service? Sales? Filing? Interacting with people? Working alone? Dig further to know why you like these areas most. Is it because they suit your personality? Because they help you grow your experience and learn more skills?
Now you have an initial idea of what you really want to do and your current priorities.
What it takes
If you don’t get enough opportunities to do what you like, look closely into the reasons. You may be inexperienced, unqualified or unable to do the job because it is not part of your job description. The answer could be an easy as shifting jobs within your organisation, or as lengthy as going back to school to get a certification or a degree that help you practice and perform those tasks more often.
If you’re unhappy with what you do and hope to shift to something else, you must make this clear. People won’t read your mind. Use meetings and performance review to explain to your supervisor what you aspire to do differently, and explore opportunities. Make sure that you explain that your requests don’t imply dissatisfaction with your current job as much as hopes to grow into a role that is more fulfilling.
Take a chance
If you know that you’ve got the skills and determination, take a chance in jumping into a position that appears to be a better fit. This position could be at a lower pay or title, or it could end up a wrong move for any reason. But you won’t know until you try. If you have been established in your current career, make a move into something totally different if you can pull it off is worthwhile to confirm or refute you interest into this different path.
Don’t take this move lightly, however. You career can’t take too many wrong moves. Pick the right timing when you have developed the required skills, feeling relatively stable financially and going through no major life changes. By doing so, your experiment will have just a minimal impact on your life. If it works, it could be the best move for you professionally. And if it doesn’t, you can always regroup and consider the best way to proceed or return to your old career.
The writer, a former Gulf News Business Features Editor, is a Seattle-based editor.
Change is in the air
Consider changes that improve your career
Subtle changes could keep you competitive
Know what is required ahead of taking action
Make a move when you’re ready
— R.O.
