Considering a new career is no easy task. It’s essentially like a mid-life crisis that gets you no matter how you look at it. The decision of career move is more critical during the pandemic when there’s already an acute job shortage. The multifarious effect of pandemic has limited the scopes of jobs in diverse industries across the country. As a result, there are a lot of things that should be considered before giving job switch a shot. Here are some essential career change questions to ask yourself.
Things to Consider before Career Change
What motivates you in your job?
To be realistic, most people work for the money. However, money may not be the only motivation for many. For instance, some people might build career to gain social status and prestige. For others, it might be about climbing the ladder to the top of the chain. Among the job-holders, not many people love doing what they do for living.
What you need to do is ask yourself, what motivates you to do what you are doing now? That way you will find your true calling and purpose of working.
Why do you want to change the job?
This is a straightforward question. However, the answer might not be so simple. A lot of factors might trigger the want for a job change. The current job is something that you don’t enjoy doing, work is monotonous, there’s a lack of growth opportunity and many more. Try and understand why you want to make the switch.
Some people tend to switch jobs one after another within short intervals, which waste their career potentials. Certainly, you don’t want to end up in a similar situation. So, it’s better to understand what didn’t work in the first place.
What holds value to you?
This is more in line with the previous point except here you should think about what you want from the future. Understanding why you want to switch might give you an idea about the past constraints. But avoiding those constraints alone shouldn’t be your priority.
Ask yourself that what is the ‘thing’ that you are missing in your current job. Are you are trying to move out from a dead-end job? If yes, then surely you are looking for a job with a better career growth opportunity. Understand your own desires before you are looking for a new workplace.
What brings happiness to you?
“Find the job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a single day in your life” – this famous quote from Mark Twain defines the importance of finding happiness in what you are doing. Sure enough in this day and age and our economy, it’s not easy to incorporate happiness and career prospects. But if you do plan on switching jobs, you might as well ask yourself, what can you do next that might bring happiness to you? The constant demand for monetary needs will always be there, but the idea is to make the most out of the opportunities at hand.
What is the scope of the new career?
If you are considering changing your profession, chances are you already have a new job or position in mind. What you need to do is assess what are the prospect and scope of this new job? Is it something that will provide a better opportunity for you? The answer to previous questions should better guide you here. Depending on your preference for a career change, you will be able to decide whether the offerings of this new job are worth it or not.
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
This is probably the most important long-term question that you need to ask yourself. What are your career plans? Where do you see yourself in 20 years? Is it some high-flying career or a simple yet happy life? It doesn’t matter what your goal is as long as you’re aiming it right. Having a concrete plan and vision for the future is important as it is the ultimate determinant of how you go about in your life.
Is there a need for additional qualifications?
When we generally see people considering a career change, it is one of two things. Either the person isn’t happy with their current job, or is looking for a better opportunity. If it’s the latter, chances are there will be additional requirements for the position. You might need additional skills or educational certification to make the switch. The right thing to do in such a scenario would be to scout out the skills and qualifications required and focus on attaining them first.
How will be the transition from the current job?
Switching jobs aren’t as simple as moving from point A to point B. There are a lot of aspects involved with the process and if you’re not careful, you might find yourself at a crossroads. It might be related to your location, prior commitment, and organizational regulation. A good number of things might act as a constraint as you make the transition. It’s better to stay prepared for them.
What will the new career give you?
Previously we talked about where do you see yourself in 20 years and what brings happiness to you. However, those are aspects that are strictly related to your desires. It’s not necessary that you what you expect would transpire in real life. The correct approach would be to assess what this new job is offering you and whether they are in line with your expectation from the job.
Are you being realistic?
One fine morning, you might feel like leaving your job to become the CEO of Apple. Sure enough, you can dream of it, and with an excellent resume to back you up in the industry that might even be possible someday. But the drastic plan is not realistic. To consider a career change, you need to take a step back and analyze what is the cost and what are the benefits of this transition. Only then you’ll be able to assess whether the transition of career would be realistic or not.
Final Thoughts
Changing a career isn’t as simple as it might look. With all things said, it ultimately comes down to personal choice, preference, and happiness. We hope these questions will be able to guide you in the right direction and help you find your true calling in terms of career choices.
Source: United News of Bangladesh