A career change is not easy, so think hard about it.
Do you find yourself constantly wishing you could quit your job? Are you exhausted, bored and unmotivated about your work? If you felt that any of these signs you are slowly hating the work you used to love, it might be time to change careers. But before you quit your job, you should ask yourself the following questions to help you find out whether moving from one career to another is the best choice.
Can you survive well on the salary that the new career will pay you?
Whatever industry or dream job you wish to move to, the most important thing you need to think about is the salary paid in this new job. For instance, if you are working as an engineer and wish to become a marketer, will this new job be able to feed, clothe and take care of your family because you will have to start off at the most basic level. If you earn say, Ksh 100,000 per month as an engineer, will you be alright working in a job where you are starting off with Ksh 30,000?
Do you have the right skills for the new career?
Before you can smoothly move into a new career, you will need to learn all the important skills to be successful. Ask yourself if you are prepared to research and learn what is currently in demand. For instance, do you have time to go through the job boards and company websites which post the specific job you want? Do you have the money and support to go back to school if this what is needed for your career? All these questions will determine if you will last at your new career.
Is the time right to make the career change?
Ask yourself if the current job you have is stable or if there are issues happening at your workplace that might place your job at risk. For example, is the company closing or are you feeling that management is not giving you as much support as you want? Is your relationship with your colleagues difficult enough to make it hard to concentrate at work? These are questions you need to ask yourself before quitting and starting over in another job. The decision over whether to change careers is a difficult one so you must think clearly and honestly about the three questions to make sure that you really need a career change and not a holiday!
