How to Transition Into a New Career
Developing Transferrable Skills Key to Career Change
Nov 9, 2009
It’s a very common condition. The employee has been stuck in a career rut and sees no way out. The work has become boring, robotic, even depressing. It can even get so bad as to produce health problems such as those experienced by the exasperated Joe Banks (Tom Hanks) in the 1990 movie, Joe Versus the Volcano. So how can one break out of the daily grind and find a career with greater job satisfaction? Here are some tips.
Perform a Self-Assessment
Consider the enjoyable aspects of the job and what changes would make it a better work experience. Is it the actual work itself that is unsatisfactory, or is it office politics? Is the boss too demanding or unreasonable? Is the glass ceiling holding back well-deserved promotions?
Are natural skills being stifled? For example, creative individuals, including writers and graphic designers, despise spending too much time on administrative tasks and strict guidelines. Are core values being upheld? A person passionate about environmental issues may be dissatisfied as a sales rep. Asking friends and family who really know the individual is a good way to get feedback as to a new career change.
Identify New Careers
After performing the self-assessment to determine skills and goals, identify several occupations that would provide greater job satisfaction and would more closely match goals and values. Research these fields and speak to those experienced in the occupation. Some professions appear glamorous on the outside, but are inherently stressful on the inside. Remember, while the new career may be better than the old, the proverbial grass is always greener on the other side.
Another avenue to pursue is an alternate job role within the company. For example, a person dissatisfied with programming and who works closely with content developers can work toward becoming a technical writer. Technical writers who would rather focus on quality and testing can work toward becoming quality assurance analysts. Graphic designers who develop Flash and other web graphics can work toward becoming web programmers.
Develop Transferrable Skills
Transferrable skills are those not directly related to the new career, but can be transferred over. For example, an administrative assistant looking to break into a writing career can write articles in company and community newsletters, assist in writing for the company website, develop user manuals, volunteer in editorial departments of newspapers and magazines, and help write proposals.
Invest in Adult Education Classes
If the employee’s company offers free classes, by all means take advantage. Otherwise, a great way to break into a new career field is to take evening classes at the local community college, trade school, or online. Even better, becoming certified in a given occupation (e.g., accounting, IT) adds to the person’s marketability.
Transitioning into a new career takes a lot of time and patience. By performing a self-assessment, identifying new occupations, developing transferrable skills, taking advantage of free corporate classes, and investing in adult education courses, those seeking to pull themselves out of the corporate rut can really benefit from a well-deserved career change.
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