How to Change Careers to Follow a Passion
Changing careers to follow your passion can be the most important decision that you can make. It's important to consider the implications of a big career change, and plan accordingly before making any sudden moves. The rewards of doing what you love are immense, but there are real world implications to making a move to a new path and quitting your current line of work.
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Instructions
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Discover what you're passionate about. Before you make any large career moves it's important to actually know where you want to go. If you're clear on new career you want to pursue, that's great. Write down your passion and stick with it until you've made the change.
You're in a more difficult position if you don't know what you're passionate about. Try asking friends or family what they see as your strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately this is your decision though, if you don't know where you're going, it might not be a good idea to make any changes.
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Perform a risk assessment. Make a list of all of your monthly spending, and determine how much money you need to make every month to survive. A career change can mean a major loss of yearly revenue. Instant success is definitely not assured, so it's important to determine just how much you will need to make to survive.
Calculate how much debt you would accumulate if you stopped working now. Ask yourself if there are any ways you can cut down your spending and be more frugal. If making a career change will put you in a lot of debt you will either need to think of ways to live cheaper (can you support yourself on a part time job?), or reconsider making the career change.
If you have a family to support, make sure they're aware and supportive of your decision to change careers and follow your passion.
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Educate yourself. Learn as much as possible about the field that you've chosen to enter. Research any barriers there may be to enter it. Ask questions with people who work in the field about how they were able to find jobs. Ask if there are educational requirements or apprenticeship requirements that might need to be fulfilled. Read as many books as possible on the career choice as you can. Take a class at a college or university on the subject that you wish to pursue.
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Make connections in your new field. Network with as many people in the field you want to enter as possible. Find out who is in hiring positions, get their names, addresses and phone numbers. Research the number of businesses that are hiring, and learn as much as you can about the services they provide and the positions that may be open at these companies. Make friends with people who work at these companies. One of the best ways to do this is through LinkedIn or another career networking site.
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Save enough money to survive. You may be out of work for up to six months to a year, so keep that in mind. Set an exact amount of money that you need to save. Do you think it will take you six months to get established in your new career, or a year? Calculate how much money you will spend over that period of time. Save this money, place it in a bank account, and don't touch it until you need to. Set strict spending limits from the minute you decide to change careers until the time you land a job at a new company.
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Set a timetable of specific goals that you will achieve over the next six months. Make a plan that details how you will achieve these goals. Ask yourself whether you can pursue your passion right now, and keep your other job as a backup while you're gaining momentum in the new career. Set a date at which you will quit the job you currently have, inform your current boss of your decision to leave, and go through with decision.
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Tips & Warnings
Have a backup plan. If everything goes wrong, is there anywhere you can go? Talk to friends and family, ask if they would be willing to support you if your plan to follow your passion doesn't work out.
