Before you make that career change, you need to take a hard look at your current job and your hopes for the future. A misguided career change can deplete your bank account, strain your relationships and lead to more unhappiness. Find out when a career change is right for you and when it isn't to save yourself some trouble.
When to Change Careers
You think you can make money at what you enjoy. You don't have to be rich, but your career change should make you happier while giving you enough to live on.
You have tried it out. Either through volunteering, interning or moonlighting, you should have a little experience in the field that interests you before jumping in with both feet.
You are willing to put in the effort. A career change requires serious commitment and maybe even a return to school.
Your family has your back. Good career change advice takes your family into account. Changing careers means you may need to take a pay cut for a while, and that will affect your whole household. If your spouse is on board and you can draw up a budget that reflects your plan, you can feel confident that you are doing the right thing for yourself and your family.
When Not to Change Careers
You don't like your office environment. If you would like to keep the environment but change the job, then talk to your employer about an in-company transfer. If you like what you do but don't like your employer, then send out your resume.
You aren't willing to make the sacrifice. As you learn a new skill, you will lose time and money. Ideally, your new career will make up for that, but it might require cutting back on purchases and living lean for a while.
You aren't sure what you want. When you take a leap, know where you want to land. Quitting a job and then puttering around with various odd jobs will not get you far. Examine not only your career goals but also your life goals to discover what kind of work would make you happy.
Your chosen field is not entirely stable. The economy will fluctuate while you are retraining for a career change. Before you get started, research your field, and talk to a career change consultant. You want jobs to be there when you get out. For example, more and more newspapers are folding or going online-only, so now might not be the best time to attend journalism school.
 | Adult & continuing education can transform your career, whether you are looking to make a change or take a refresher course. Just taking one class can make you more competitive within your chosen field. |
 | Continuing education should be your first stop if you are considering a career change. Not only will continuing education help you gain knowledge about a new field, but you can also see if this direction is worth pursuing. |
A career change can be liberating. However, it can also be expensive once you factor in a potentially lower income and the cost of going back to school. Yet not all career changes have to involve classes. |
Check out our career change guide to learn if a career change is right for you. |
When writing a career change resume, it is smart to highlight the skills you already have that will transfer well into your new field. For that reason, you should prepare to give your old resume an overhaul. |
