You may have carved yourself out a successful career doing what you’re good at. You may earn enough money to cover the bills and live comfortably. You may be the envy of your friends who see your success, career and lifestyle and wish they had your role. However, we often forget that we spend a huge part of our life at work and we need to make sure that we are content doing so.
A recent survey (September 2018) commissioned by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) found that the average Brit will spend 3,507 days at work including 204 days of overtime in their lifetime. That’s a lot of time to spend doing something that doesn’t push your buttons. The same survey also found that the average worker in the UK considers changing their job a whopping 16 times per year!
So, does this sound familiar? Maybe it’s not even as positive as we mentioned above. Maybe your job sadly makes you miserable and unhappy. Maybe it’s time to find a new goal and career?
Where do you even begin? We would suggest looking at things practically. Work out your current situation; finances, benefits, experience and support network. Is a career change practical at this point in your life? If not, maybe you could look into extra studying you could fit around your current role to make sure that you are better prepared or may well go into your change of career at a higher level.
If it’s not practically feasible to move due to various commitments – look back and question this: is it the career itself, or the employer? If you’re experienced in your current career, you may find that a similar employer would offer you a role perhaps with a better salary, hours or benefits. Or perhaps just a change of employer would help?
If you decide that you can afford a career change and you can move without burdening yourself too much, it’s time to think carefully. This is a big move, it could (and hopefully will) change the rest of your working life for the better!
Think about what you really want to do. Don’t over-glamourise the role, remember to still think of it as a career. There are very few people who jump out of bed every morning and skip into work! But there are those who really enjoy their role and thrive at the challenges it brings.
Does your new career require training, qualifications or a bit more background knowledge? Is this something you could dedicate time to after work to proactively boost your chances? Do you know somebody who is already in this career? If you do, perhaps they would meet with you to give you the full account of the role – perhaps even let you shadow them doing their job. This would give you a real insight into the job and not, potentially, a romanticised version of the career you have in your head. It may, however, show to you that this is exactly the career for you!
One key thing to remember in the whole situation is that making a career change isn’t an easy task. If it was, we’d all be doing it on a yearly basis! It takes dedication, determination and support.
You need dedication and determination – we can help with the support. We’re experts in changing careers due primarily to first-hand experience. We’ve seen the highs and the lows, and we’ve come out of the other side smiling! Our MD, Rob, worked in different recruitment agencies as a manager before taking the plunge and setting up Glu. Three of our recruitment consultants, Lisa, Charlotte and Selena, had all forged great careers in DIY retail before joining us and keeping us organised and on our toes.
The fact is, we’ve been there and we get it. We are here to guide you through a career change and ensure that we leave no stone left unturned. One of the best bits of advice is to build networks with potential new employers so that you’re not ‘just a CV’. Well, luckily we have that covered. If you’re enthusiastic and we want to work with you – we will help to build those networks for you.
Take a week of serious thinking. Don’t let the small negatives at work push you into any rash decision. If, at the end of the week, you’re still sure you want a career change, then discuss it with somebody you trust. Discuss the potentials of financial implications, location changes, routine differences. Think about what’s right for you.
That’s probably the best advice of the whole blog, so we will say it again: Think about what’s right for you.