When you’ve been working in your career for some time, it can be challenging to let it go. I remember the moment when I was working in a law design firm and realised it wasn’t for me. I had spent years in education and practicing my craft, and I loved it for many years, but there was a moment when I looked at myself and said I don’t want to be doing this in five years’ time.

My life has changed, and I want to head out in a new direction. But how? How do you go about changing your career from something you’ve worked hard in into something that’s potentially completely new? 

In this guide, you’re going to find out.

Developing Understanding for Your Situation

The first thing you need to do is look at your mindset to understand why you’re considering making this move in the first place. Are you sick of your job? Are you depressed with your life? Do you hate your boss? Are you not getting on with your colleagues? These are all important questions you need to ask yourself.

If your motivation is to do with your job, then you need to think about what you would rather do instead. There’s no point in leaving your job right now and then having no direction whatsoever, especially if you need the money. You don’t want to put yourself into a financial crisis if you can help it. Once you’ve developed understanding, you’ll be able to start making proper movements towards the direction you actually want to be heading in.

What’s Holding You Back?

Another essential question you need to ask yourself. Are you saying to yourself you’re scared of changing your careers? Are you afraid of making a change? Do you think you’re too old to make a change? Do you lack the qualifications or education to make a change?

Answering this question is important because it will help identify what obstacles you’ll need to overcome. In short, you’re never too old to change your careers, and there’s always time to start training and educating yourself if you want to head down a certain path.

Look at What Opportunities You Have

“There are more opportunities out there in the world than ever before, and it’s important to you realize this because it will unlock so many doors for you. I’ve seen people above the age of 80 making huge followings on typically younger social media platforms like TikTok because they’re doing what they want to do and they’re having fun,” explains Sarah Harrison, a writer at Assignment writing service and Research Papers.

They’re not letting fears or anxieties get in the way of what they want to do. Understanding that you can practically do whatever you want to do is a huge power, so get out there and look for what’s available. Think outside the box and be as creative as possible.

Start Moving Forward

Once you know what you want to do and how you want to do it, it’s time to start thinking about taking those first steps. Do you need to train, get educated, or get a qualification? If you do, start working on it. Do you need to sort out your financial situation? Sure, then get working on it.

Do you have mindset issues you need to overcome, such as not being scared or being stuck in your ways? Then work on them. Whatever obstacles you highlighted above, now is the time to start working on getting them out of your way.

Go for Opportunities

Sooner or later, there’s going to be a time when you need a leap from the edge and make stuff happen. This could be leaving your existing job and career or signing up and applying for a new one. 

“Every time you do something in life, it’s going to be scary the first time you do it. That’s just how the mind works. It doesn’t know what’s going to happen, so it makes you feel cautious about doing it. Even if you’ve had, left, and applied for jobs before, if you’re changing a career, you’ve been in for 40 years, then yes, that’s a long time, and it’s going to be scary,” shares Mary Harper, a career blogger at Best essay writers and Top essay writing services.

The trick is to just do it. Nine times out of ten, the first time you do something, you realize afterwards that it wasn’t actually so bad. The same applies here. Sure, you might get rejected from a job, but that doesn’t mean the hunt for a new career is over. It’s only over when you say it’s over, and as long as you keep trying, it’s one day going to pay off.

Go In with a Strong Mindset

As you can see from our guide here, the most important thing you need to be focusing on during a career change of any degree is your mindset. You need to be thinking about how your mind is holding you back and how you want to be thinking to move forward.

Master your mind. Master your life.