Is it time for you to make a career change?

Waking up feeling frustrated? Not looking forward to work anymore? Maybe it is time for you to make a career change. Career change means different things to different people.

For some, it may mean that you totally change your occupation to a new industry.
For others, it just means finding a new role to use the same talents better.
For still others, you may need to go back to school to make a true career change to the path that you would enjoy most.

How do you know if you should make a career change?

One client came to me with the intent initially of changing jobs. But since all of my packages include a DISC assessment, she opted for the Career Management version and wanted to cover that first in our sessions.

The assessment was surprising to me. For one thing, it revealed a few occupations that I see for clients with different backgrounds. Secondly, it was heavily emphasizing computer roles and math roles. This client has a Bachelor's in healthcare and all of her work experience is in healthcare.

The career management DISC report is similar to many of the other versions I offer, but it has one major difference. This is the only report that generates a list of potential occupations based on your responses to the DISC assessment. The occupations are linked to the ONET Code.

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O*Net, a resource for career change

The O*NET program is the nation's primary source of occupational information. Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The database, which is available to the public at no cost, is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation.

The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is being developed under the sponsorship of the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA) through a grant to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Discovering a direction for your career change

As I reviewed the data with her, I was concerned that we were going to be way off for suggestions of new careers. Surprisingly, my client was delighted. She has always loved math and the computer world intrigues her.

She was proactive and with me coaching her along the way, she checked out opportunities to get degrees in information technology and looked at ways to use the new degrees with her healthcare background. We looked at ways she could leverage her existing degree and still complete the new one.

Strategies for a successful career change

Online education – We looked for online opportunities so she could work on the new degree while staying with her current role.

Educational Reimbursement by current employer – I encouraged her to check out education reimbursement with her current employer and coached her through the commitment that might take if she opted to go that route.

Informational Interviewing – I connected her with someone who I know works in healthcare IT for her current employer who could help her with an informational interview to understand what opportunities may be available and what she might need to move forward.

The after story

She embraced every suggestion and followed through. I am so proud of her. She is choosing to try a new avenue and potentially make a major career change. We continued with her resume and LinkedIn profile but I encouraged her to see if she could remain in her existing job for a while. She is an ambitious young lady who has the follow-through and determination to make a big career change. She starts school in September.

Clients who work with me have diverse goals. We address them with an understanding that there are opportunities if you work hard and are willing to try new things. No one has to stay in a job they hate.

If you are contemplating a career change, big or small, it may help to have someone working with you to help you find the right tools to move forward. Learn more.

Photo Credit: Sebastien Wiertz