Enioluwa Adeoluwa: Debating Whether to Make that Career Change in 2020? Read This For Clarity

It’s the beginning of the year and usually, everyone is pumped and super excited to be at work. It’s the first week of the work year, so why shouldn’t you be? If you’re struggling to get settled at work after the holidays, then it might be time to start asking yourself the hard questions.

Is it just the January blues or is it time to make a change? If you are unsure of why you need to move, read this:

You’re completely bored

If you regularly feel compelled to go to work or the thought fills you with dread, then something is wrong. Going to work should be something you look forward to. If you no longer get excited about your workload and projects as you used to be, if you find yourself daydreaming about something completely different at work, or you feel like your talents are going to waste, then it means that the passion for your job has waned and it might be time to make a change.

You want a more interesting work-life balance

Are you completely exhausted? Do you find yourself having anxiety from work? Are you constantly living for the weekends? Do you spend every waking hour thinking about work? 2020 should be the year that you put yourself first. Life is simply too short to stay in a job that is making you feel stressed and exhausted. Change your career for the sake of your health!

Your life has changed

If you went through a lot of changes in 2019, now is the perfect time to reassess your career. You might have started a family and want more free time. Maybe you’ve decided that you want to travel more or perhaps you want the challenge of learning a new skill. Decide exactly what you want and choose a new career that aligns with those goals.

Your talents don’t match your current role

Have you got a flair for the arts but you’re stuck in a finance role? Maybe you enjoy meeting new people but you work in an unsociable environment. If your talents and skills don’t match your current career, it might be time to make a change. Take some aptitude tests, visit a counselor or ask a friend what industry they would suggest for you. This will help you find out what career would suit you best.

You want more cash

Sometimes the career you wanted isn’t as financially beneficial as you had hoped it would be. Your needs and wants might have increased and your monthly intake doesn’t seem to measure up anymore. Listen, it’s okay to say you want more money. It isn’t the most important thing in the world but it is necessary. If you urgently need an increase, then it might be time to change careers.

If you are beginning to consider a new career, don’t just jump into it. Here are a few points to note:

Who is in your network?

After you’ve identified your passion and thought about what you really need from a job, then you need to network! You are moving into a totally new space and you have to meet new people. You don’t have to attend expensive conferences to network. For instance, if you have decided to move into the world of photography, a great way for you to network would be to send direct messages to influencers you follow on Instagram and ask them how they got started. Want to pursue a career in marketing? Reach out to someone on LinkedIn or via email who works at your favorite company and introduce yourself. In many cases, people will appreciate the extra effort you’ve put in to connect with them and are happy to share advice, tips, etc. on how to get started in the industry.

Get personal

Find out as much as you can about those fields and reach out to personal contacts in those sectors for interviews. A good source of contact for interviews is your old school mates and your church members. LinkedIn is another great resource for finding contacts in specific career fields of interest.

Try it out

Identify voluntary and freelance activities related to your target field to test your interest. For instance, if you are thinking of publishing as a career, try editing, and try reading more articles. Take a class. Investigate educational opportunities that would bridge your background to your new field. Contact professional groups in your target field for suggestions.

Consider alternative roles within your current industry that would utilize the industry knowledge you already have. For instance, if you are a store manager for a large retail chain and have grown tired of the evening and weekend hours, consider a move to corporate recruiting within the retail industry. If you are a programmer who doesn’t want to program, consider technical sales or project management. Sometimes it’s not all about the industry, it could be the job.