If you've followed our posts throughout the week, you should know enough about your new career choice to make a decision.
Maybe you've found that your choices aren't as great as you thought they would be? Don't give up!
You can start over and pick a few more new career choices and keep doing the same research until you do find something.
If you do have a choice or two that has kept your interest, it's time to take action.
Gather all of your research and look at educational and skill requirements. It's very likely that you already have some of the skills needed already but make a list of ones that you may need to acquire. Decide if you really need to go back to school or if there's a free or low cost workshop whether online or close to where you live so you can get up to speed.
You may also want to talk to a career counselor. They can help you narrow down your choices and look at how you might fit into a new or different position. You can ask them if they can provide some career aptitude tests to make sure you will be a good fit.
It's important to remember that if you're unhappy or unfulfilled in your current job, take steps to make it better. Work is a very important part of our lives and we spend most of our waking hours working. That's a lot of time to spend unhappy and it won't get better until you take action to make it better.
Have you changed careers in the last few years? What were your challenges? Please share your stories with us in the comments below.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Changing Careers: Step Three - Talk to an Expert
By now you should have a pretty good idea of the new career(s) that you're interested in. If you've taken the time to follow our suggestions you should have the following information:
- salary information
- job duties
- future job outlook
- opportunities in your area or online
If you're still interested in your choices, it's now time to take things more seriously. One of the best ways to find out more details about your potential career is to talk to an expert.
Who qualifies as an expert? Anyone who has worked in that profession within the last few years. You may already know someone or have a friend or family member who does. If not, see if you can find someone in a job forum or in a local networking group.
If you still can't find someone, post a question on LinkedIn. It's free to sign up and they have a forum where you can post a wide variety of questions. Post a general question at first, something like - "I'm considering a career in ...., can someone knowledgeable in that profession answer a few questions for me?" Once you have some responses, you can contact those individuals separately and ask your questions via email or whatever method of contact you agree to.
It will be important for you to come up with a list of questions that you can ask them. Ask questions like:
- How long have/did you work in that profession?
- What is a typical day like?
- What do you like about the job?
- What don't you like about the job?
Try to be respectful of their personal information like salary and compensation but some may be forthcoming without even asking. By asking someone who already knows about what it's like to work in that profession, you can get some insightful information on what your new career will be like.
Tomorrow we'll talk about some final steps in your research and how you can get started in your new career.
Let us know how your research is going. Share your stories with us in the comments section below.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Changing Careers: Step Two - Mock Job Search
Now that you have a list of a few careers you're interested in and you have some idea of salary information and what the job entails, it's time to start looking for what opportunities are out there.
Start by doing a job search just as you would look for any other job. This will help you to:
Start by doing a job search just as you would look for any other job. This will help you to:
- see what opportunities match what you're looking for
- find out what's available in your area
- additional information about the job duties
- salary information and other qualifications
Just as with any other job search, don't limit yourself to the newspaper or the typical job sites. Do a Google search on recruiters in that career field, or just type in "career name + jobs" and see what comes up. Also, take a look at some of the project sites like Elance or Guru. Depending on the career type, you may find that there are opportunities where you can work from home part time and also some additional job details.
Remember, you're just doing research for now. You will want to do additional information before you actually start applying. By now you should start getting an idea of what you like or maybe don't like about your choices. This is why it's important to go through these steps in deciding on any career.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at some easy ways to find experts that you can answer your questions about your potential new career.
Let us know your progress in finding your new career. Please share your stories and comments in the section below.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Changing Careers: Step One - Research
In Monday's post, we talked about making a list of at least three career choices different from the one you have.
Now that you have that list, it's time to do something with it.
The great thing is you can do the main part, if not all, of your research online. In the past, you'd have to trek to your local library but now you can find what you need through internet searches.
A key research tool for you will be the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. On this site you can view a lot of information about the potential careers you have chosen.
This site gives you information on:
Now that you have that list, it's time to do something with it.
The great thing is you can do the main part, if not all, of your research online. In the past, you'd have to trek to your local library but now you can find what you need through internet searches.
A key research tool for you will be the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. On this site you can view a lot of information about the potential careers you have chosen.
This site gives you information on:
- salary information
- education required
- future job outlook
- typical work environment
- overall job description
This information will give you a lot of the tools you need to decide if the career you've chosen is right for you. You may also find it helpful to visit salary.com to give you additional salary and career information related to your specific location.
If you want additional salary or career information, there is also a lot of salary guide information available online. You can find the most popular ones by doing a Google search.
Tomorrow we'll talk about doing the next step in researching a career change.
Has viewing the Occupational Outlook Handbook helped you find your career? What resources did you use when you researched your profession? Share your stories with us in the comments below.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Is It A Good Time to Change Careers?
Is it a good time for you to change careers?
It will mostly depend on your situation and what your comfort level is.
If you're already employed, you may be miserable in your current position for a variety of reasons. You may be at your job simply because there were no other jobs available at the time or you may have been in the same profession for a long time and are looking for a change.
If you're not employed, you may be having a hard time finding a job in your field or you feel like this is your chance to make a change for the better.
You may feel apprehensive about making changes due to the downturn in the economy or because you just don't like change.
The problem is if you don't make a change, things will remain the same. You will either continue to be unhappy in your current job or you may never find the job that will fulfill you. This isn't to say that everyone who is unhappy with their current situation should make a change but if you are thinking about it, there's no reason you should delay it.
The most important thing you can do to get started is to do your research. Since changing careers could have a significant impact on your life, both professionally and personally, you will want to look at a lot of factors.
Start by thinking about what you want to do. Maybe you always dreamed of doing a specific thing for a living but you never gave yourself a chance. You may have thought doing what you want means making less money or you don't know enough to be successful.
List at least three things that are of interest to you and we'll talk about your list in tomorrow's post.
Are you doing what you've always thought you would? Or are you wishing you could make a change and make as much money or more than you do now? Share your comments with us in the section below.
It will mostly depend on your situation and what your comfort level is.
If you're already employed, you may be miserable in your current position for a variety of reasons. You may be at your job simply because there were no other jobs available at the time or you may have been in the same profession for a long time and are looking for a change.
If you're not employed, you may be having a hard time finding a job in your field or you feel like this is your chance to make a change for the better.
You may feel apprehensive about making changes due to the downturn in the economy or because you just don't like change.
The problem is if you don't make a change, things will remain the same. You will either continue to be unhappy in your current job or you may never find the job that will fulfill you. This isn't to say that everyone who is unhappy with their current situation should make a change but if you are thinking about it, there's no reason you should delay it.
The most important thing you can do to get started is to do your research. Since changing careers could have a significant impact on your life, both professionally and personally, you will want to look at a lot of factors.
Start by thinking about what you want to do. Maybe you always dreamed of doing a specific thing for a living but you never gave yourself a chance. You may have thought doing what you want means making less money or you don't know enough to be successful.
List at least three things that are of interest to you and we'll talk about your list in tomorrow's post.
Are you doing what you've always thought you would? Or are you wishing you could make a change and make as much money or more than you do now? Share your comments with us in the section below.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Job Fair Information
Please view the information on upcoming job fairs:
Natchitoches - Northwestern State University
Tues. Sept. 25th
Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio
Thurs. Sept. 27th
If you would like more information on job fairs in your area, please visit the Choice Career Fairs website. You can also share any other job or career fair information you know of in the comments section below.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Should You Access Your Social Media Accounts at Work?
On Monday, we talked about allowing an employer access to your social media accounts whether you're trying to get hired or if you already work for them. There's still the issue of accessing those accounts while you're at work.
Is it a good idea to issue those accounts at your job? Given some employer's stance on wanting to access your accounts, it probably isn't a good idea.
You may want to check your employer's policy on accessing personal information while at work. Most will have policies against accessing personal email accounts so it may be safe to assume that social media is against policy as well.
This is especially the case if you're using your work computer to access this information. It may be safe to use your own personal devices but you still may want to be cautious if you work in a place where you are visible to others.
Another thing to note is if you do use your work computer to access your social media accounts, you may be giving your employer access to that information without even knowing it. Depending on how sophisticated your employer's network is, they may have a way to monitor what you're doing throughout the day. If they see you're on Facebook or your personal email, it could lead to disciplinary action or possible termination.
If you must access your email or social media accounts during the day, try to stick to using your own personal device and use it only when you're on a break or at lunch. The more precautions you take, the less chance you will have of causing any problems with your employer.
Have you or someone you know ever had an employer issue a reprimand for accessing personal information while at work? What was the outcome? Please share your stories with us in the comments below.
Is it a good idea to issue those accounts at your job? Given some employer's stance on wanting to access your accounts, it probably isn't a good idea.
You may want to check your employer's policy on accessing personal information while at work. Most will have policies against accessing personal email accounts so it may be safe to assume that social media is against policy as well.
This is especially the case if you're using your work computer to access this information. It may be safe to use your own personal devices but you still may want to be cautious if you work in a place where you are visible to others.
Another thing to note is if you do use your work computer to access your social media accounts, you may be giving your employer access to that information without even knowing it. Depending on how sophisticated your employer's network is, they may have a way to monitor what you're doing throughout the day. If they see you're on Facebook or your personal email, it could lead to disciplinary action or possible termination.
If you must access your email or social media accounts during the day, try to stick to using your own personal device and use it only when you're on a break or at lunch. The more precautions you take, the less chance you will have of causing any problems with your employer.
Have you or someone you know ever had an employer issue a reprimand for accessing personal information while at work? What was the outcome? Please share your stories with us in the comments below.
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