Career Change
Do you already have a job, but it is not your dream job? Not happy with your choice of job? Perhaps, there are not a lot of opportunities to advance your career. Your present job may be a stepping stone towards you extending your career path or perhaps, taking a different tack and change your career pathway. Where do you go from here?
If you believe it is time to change your career path, its never too late. Changing your career path during your life can be challenging but there have been many successful people who have changed their career path after the age of 40 years. People like Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart store at the age of 44 years. Samuel L. Jackson made a career change into the entertainment industry at the age of 46 years. [1] A career pathway change whilst you are in your 40s can happen successfully. It requires you to carefully plan your career change and transition towards your career path. Completing a Career Assessment can be a vital first step in the right direction.
You must ask yourself two key questions before attempting to make your sudden career change.
What do you want to do? At this point in time, you should have a clear understanding of the types of careers that will excite you, that give you that passion. You will most likely succeed with a career that you enjoy rather than a career that does not ignite your emotions.
How do I proceed from where I am now to my new career pathway? You need to transition from your present position to your new career path with minimal disruption. This transition process is called the career exploration process. [2]
These two important questions can be easily answered by applying the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
The MBTI can help you to determine your career goals. The MBTI will guide you to a better understanding of yourself through exploring your personality preferences for deciding what you want to do. However, you should not solely use the MBTI as the single source of your decision-making. You should also consider your skills, your experience, your abilities, your values, and equally important, your interests. You will need to research the requirements needed to gain entry into your career choice plus the opportunity to progress within this career. Perhaps, you may need to undergo further training for your career choice.
The question “What do you want to do?” is not an easy question to answer. This leads to a deeper understanding of yourself in respect to what you like doing daily, in one, five, and ten years’ time. This question also delves into your motivation and the type of people that you like to work with daily.
The career exploration process is the intermediary step used to take you from where you are now to where you want to be for you to be able to achieve your career goals.
Stay tuned for our next blog which will delve into this subject further.
[1] Source – Lifehack – How to Make a Career Change at 40 and Get Unstuck. December 18th 2019. Website: https://www.lifehack.org/809787/career-change-at-40
[2] Source – Introduction to Type and Careers. Allen L. Hammer