Why do you want to make a career change?

Do you think you could benefit from a career change? It’s a question that many people both young and old ask themselves, and if you’re not enjoying your job or the company or industry you work in, it could be a sign that you need to try something new.

In this blog, we explain what exactly a career change is, list the common reasons for choosing a different profession and offer effective tips for doing this yourself.

What is a career change?

A career change is when someone decides to alter the direction of their professional path to a different job or industry. In some cases, a career change could be minor and involve learning a new skill or delving into another area where the individual has prior knowledge or experience. Alternatively, it could be a significant change whereby the individual works within an entirely different role and industry, potentially picking up a qualification or undergoing work experience placements as a method of becoming suitably qualified for the new role.

Why are you changing careers?

There are several reasons why you may want to change careers, with the cause being based on something in your personal or professional life. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the common reasons for changing careers:

Development –

As people grow, their objectives and goals change. Not only does this mean that an employer may not be able to match their expectations, but it could also mean that an employee has ambitions that the company simply cannot meet. For example, if they want to change their role or industry, or if they want to change to a different type of company, it’s unlikely that the company they work for would be able to facilitate this change.

Flexibility –

It’s not always easy to balance work and home life. If a business isn’t able to accommodate this, an employee may need to change jobs to one that is more flexible. In some cases, the flexibility of a role may even change. For instance, during the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of professionals were given the option to work remotely. However, if a business returns to normal and an employee feels that working remotely helped them to balance their work and home life, they may feel better working at a different company that offers a more suitable level of flexibility.

Management –

Workplace politics are often the cause of many disputes. Some employees may be left feeling disappointed, frustrated or upset by the way they’ve been directly managed or even the way the entire company is managed as a whole. Unsatisfactory leadership could also involve a feeling of not being appreciated and insufficient company benefits (e.g. wage and bonuses), potentially leading an employee look for a job opportunity elsewhere.

Satisfaction –

Feeling satisfied in a job can be difficult to achieve, but if the role or company isn’t giving an employee all they need for complete job satisfaction, changing careers can seem like a natural next step. For experienced employees, it may be that they’ve been working in the same role, company or industry for a long period of time and simply want a change.

What to do when you want to change your career

If you’ve come to the conclusion that you could benefit from a career change, you may be wondering what you should do to get the wheels in motion. Firstly, it would be advisable to work out what exactly you want to do, or failing that, identify the skills you want to utilise in a new career. You can then use this information to research the career you want to move into and work out what you would need to do to reach your goal.

Depending on the criteria for this new role, you may benefit from learning a new qualification, undertaking an apprenticeship or applying for placements at relevant companies to gain first-hand work experience. It would then be important to update your CV to reflect your new professional goals along with a cover letter that details your experience and explains why you changed careers.