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Facing the realization you are ready for a career change doesn’t always happen overnight. Most of the time, it is a lengthy process that is not always easy to conclude. Job boredom, having general signs of being burnt out, unhappiness or unfulfillment, a random gap of unemployment, or simply just ready to advance your career to new heights are all some driving factors someone may consider such a large decision. But that initial thought is only the starting step. The steps afterwards could introduce confusion, stress, and plenty of patience required for the time it may take you to find success. All that to say…it isn’t always easy to do.
But going into such a life altering decision without a clear understanding where exactly to start can only make the process even more of a challenge. In this blog post, we are discussing four key steps on how to successfully make a career change in 2022. Discussing how to take the starting steps leading up to the change, ways to maximize your success potential, and what to do when you’re finally ready to make the switch officially.
The 4 Steps to a Successful Career Change
1. Decide What Career You Want to Do
This may seem like an obvious starting point when considering making a career change. But it’s also one that may be overlooked easily by accident. You may know it’s time for you to pursue something different but unsure of exactly what that different thing is. Really narrowing down your wants will help the entire goal more achievable for you. Making such an important decision shouldn’t be throwing darts at a wall to find your answer out.
The key questions to factor in when making your decision on a new career:
- What are your personal long-term goals? What are your professional long-term goals? Would this change help you achieve them?
- What does your long-term happiness look like in this new career?
- Are you choosing this career path because it’s what you fell into as a career earlier or because of what you truly want to do?
Answering these questions for yourself will help narrow down the list you create as a potential next move. If one of the job roles is unable to check all the boxes it should, then is it truly the right career move for you? If not, keep searching for a better alternative.
Let’s continue our step-by-step guide of making a successful career switch to help you make the best move for yourself and your future. As we walk you through the steps, we hope things become clearer for you and the best decision to make!
2. Finding the Best Choice
One of the important steps that should not be glossed over in making a successful career change is research. This is a key point in making sure you make the correct switch and prepares you to better understand expectations across the board – from your employer but also you as the employee.
What you should find out online before making a career switch:
- Find out what the qualifications, skillsets, and role expectations are
- Search online salary averages to make sure it aligns with your financial needs plus to better negotiate a salary
- If there is job security and internal growth options available in most cases
Once you have fully researched the role and have a stronger understanding of the details surrounding your wanted job role, then you should be ready to take the next steps towards launching your new career more confidently.
3. Do You Have the Skills for a Career Change?
Having an interest or passion in something you hope to do full-time one day is one thing. But having the full set of skills to be qualified for the career switch plays a huge part in your success, as well. After you have done the research behind what it takes and if the move into your potential new career is the best fit for you, now it is time to take a step back and have a clearer grasp on where you could stand against other potential candidates during the job search. Also having the comfort of knowing you can live up to expectations if you are offered the job.
Now, it is time to ask yourself what skills are specifically required for your successful career switch and how your current skillsets hold up in comparison.
If you already could do the job functions, then you might want to consider expanding your abilities. Sharpening up the skills you already have will more than likely make you more confident in your craft to take the step into your career switch.
If there are aspects of the job that you are unsure of, there are plenty of options for you to acquire the skillsets expected of you. In most cases, there’s online courses or tutorials to help you learn those missing attributes. If you want to gather as much information as you can to get to your new career even quicker, then you should pursue bootcamp options. But more on that later.
4. What Are Your Options for a New Career?
If you are unsure on what your career switch should be but fully confident you are ready for a change, the potential choices for you are almost unlimited! Because of a boost in remote work options, the amount of opportunity is much larger than it once was. According to a recent Findstack article, the number of people who work from home has risen by 159% since 2009. With the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic forcing physical locations to temporarily shut their doors, companies needed to find a way to quickly pivot to keep business moving forward. After two years, many businesses have decided to keep that work-from-home model permanently. And for someone interested in making a career switch in 2022 – that’s great news!
But location is just a single part of narrowing down your career search. You may find yourself asking if you would be a good fit, if you could be qualified, and even having doubts surrounding your age. These are all quite common things to worry about when facing an unknown as big as changing a career path. Plus, an unlimited number of other stressful questions may come up as you begin your career switch journey officially.
But those potential worries are sometimes just natural attachments to such a big life-changing decision. No matter your age, professional background, personal background, or location…there are always plenty of options open for you to pursue once you figure out the exact career you want. Eyes on the prize.
What Are Your Next Steps in a Career Switch?
So, you have it all figured out. You have decided what career you want to get into, you have narrowed down specifics on the best choices in that career for you, you understand the skills expected of you and how your current skillsets compare, and you understand what options are available to you when making the switch over – now what?
Now comes the exciting first official steps in making your career change: Starting your job search.
But not so fast. There are a few extra steps in between that we would suggest. Outside of joining job search websites or applications and making your resume look sparkling, there are a few additional resources you can lean into to make for a smoother transition into finding a new role in your brand-new career.
When looking for a new job you may also want to:
- Lean into platforms such as LinkedIn to build connections and social proof of yourself
- Make sure your skills are impressive to stand out among others and consider courses to make them stronger
In recent years, LinkedIn has become the business professionals social go-to. But it is more than liking statuses and sharing photos. Having a strong LinkedIn profile is a major plus in recruiters’ eyes. And sometimes it may be that very thing to help take your resume to the next level and receive that phone call for an interview. For unaccustomed users of the site, it may come across as a bit overwhelming with so many features. There are plenty of features that may even be hidden out clear sight that daily visitors might not be aware of and taking advantage of. Make sure to do your fair amount of research to have a clearer understanding of how to make the most of the social platform.
Along with your social profiles, it is worth triple checking that you are comfortable in the skills you have before approaching the switch fully. Whether you are brand new to something or have been doing it for years, taking your skillset to the next level can only be beneficial in a career switch.
In the last decade, bootcamp courses have become a serious part of the discussion when it comes to getting a higher education and getting a large toolbox that you did not have before. The bootcamp course structure is centered around being a realistic replacement for a traditional 4-year college degree. It is a launchpad to a career in only as short as 12 weeks.
At devCodeCamp, our online coding courses are set up for your success. From day one introductions to even after you graduate one of our courses and speak with our Career Services department. When it comes to pursuing a career as a developer, our coding bootcamp is an option that gives you that full confidence when approaching a career switch. Our graduates can be seen inside Amazon, Facebook, HubSpot, JP Morgan, Rocket Mortgage, and many more.
If you are ready to successfully make a career switch in 2022 and ready to maximize your success in as short as 12 weeks, reach out now.