Have you reached a point in your career where you’re ready to try something completely new? Is your current role making you feel uninspired, or do you feel limited? Or maybe you’re ready to take the leap and convert one of your life-long passions into the focus of your work life. Regardless of how you got here, a career change is a significant and transformative process. One of the most important ways to navigate this challenge is learning how best to communicate your skills, no matter what your background is.

There are a few initial steps that are important to take before making the shift. Have you considered the following:

• Are there any aspects you still like of your current job responsibilities? - This might help you realise you’re not ready to give the whole career up, but perhaps look for a side-step or a career shift in a similar industry.

• Location - sometimes people can be strongly in need of a change of scene. Have you thought about relocating, or trying out a new company? 

• Company Culture - maybe you’re clashing with some of your colleagues, or you don’t feel like you’ve found the right people to inspire you on the job. The people you work with can have a huge impact on your work life. Have you considered changing companies to experience a new culture and have the opportunity to collaborate with different people?

Once you’re sure you want to change your career, the steps below can help you navigate this transition. Identifying an important element of your ideal career can help you find a new role that truly excites you. Have you got any specific longings for certain things you wished your current job included? This could range from things like the work-life balance, how much of an impact you feel you have on your team or the wider business, the career growth prospects, how sociable the job is, or even the ability to not be tied to a computer screen for too long. Have you ever come across a certain job that sounds way too good to be true? What about it stuck out to you? Discovering what excites you and what your key motivators are will allow you to focus on the right aspects of your career change, making the transition worthwhile.

‘I think the first challenge for any of us is to discover what we want in life, what we’re actually motivated by,’ says Peter Bregman, author of 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done.

The next important step would be to do your research. Whether you’ve already identified the next career path and are ready to start climbing the professional ladder, or still need some guidance in exploring available opportunities, there are many platforms out there aimed at helping you navigate your next steps.

• Join groups on social media, where you can connect with people with similar interests as you and learn what jobs they’re discovering.

• Connect with professionals on LinkedIn and analyse their career journey. Where did they start to get to where they are now?

• Explore courses, bootcamps, apprenticeship and internship opportunities.

Finally, you can consolidate the beginning of your career change by developing a plan of action. Where do you want to be in a year from now? Is your plan realistic in terms of finances, time scope and the skills you have already? A career change doesn’t have to be a scary thing, instead, it can be a very exciting process. We hope this can inspire you and help you to think about your next steps.