Switching Careers At 30

By the time you reach 30 you have five to six years of work life experience and at this juncture you and decide rationally about your future course of action in the career choices you will be making. Many people go into a career without knowing what they actually want to do and they end up worse and disappointed in their chosen careers. You might want to change your career but situations might be such that you are not able to take that support. Reasons may be numerous, from supporting your family to the debt you have to pay. But don’t let these stop you from making your much needed career change. Because the longer you will wait, the more difficult it will become to take that decision. While trying to make this big decision, some questions will block your mind. So here are the answers to those questions which will clear the grey clouds of doubt and provide you a clear path to walk on. So let get started

The first question which will pop up in your mind is:

Why change your career?

• If you are at your thirties and you are not happy and satisfied with what you are doing, then give a thought about your job. You surely need a career change. Don’t worry, most of us make our career decisions when we are too young to decide, what we actually want to do. You are not alone who is in doubt. There are many on this list. After passing out from the college a person is not in the perfect mental phase of choosing a particular career and one land up just having a job in hand. But working till thirty, you are sure what you want in your future professional life. So if you are not completely into what you are doing, stop and decide to change your career.

The second question that you will face is to :

What are the pros and cons of a career change at thirty?

• The positive side changing your career at thirties that by this time you have had a pretty good experience of 5-6 years of your professional life and you are at much better stage of time to decide what to want to pursue further.
• Another advantage of changing your career at thirties is that your CV will show your work experience and while applying for further jobs you will be at an upper hand. This will surely help you in negotiating your future job offer easily.
• The negative side or to say the limitation of changing your career at thirties might be that at this point of time you can’t afford to make that change because of your financial obligations.
  The other negative thing about it can be, if you take a wrong decision. Changing your career at thirties and if you choose a career which proves to be a wrong one then you will end up it the worse off situation.
• So weigh the pros and cons of the career change, keeping your situation in mind and go ahead accordingly.

Now to most important question which comes up is :

Which career to choose?

• If you had an unsatisfying job before and if you again choose on such in future, then a career change will not be of any help for you. If you had hectic work hours and a ruthless boss to overload you with work which you dint had any interest in doing and if you choose a same type of job again just because it pays you good then a career change will not be a change for you.
  A new career should not be based on your university degree. It should be the one for which you have passion for. It can be from being a chef to a writer. Anything which will not be “work” for you and which will give you a feeling of content.
• Have an introspection session with yourself. Ask yourself what to would love doing the rest of your life. What are your interests and hobbies? Will you be able to work under someone or will be your own boss? When you get the answer, go for that thing and do it passionately.

The last question which you will face is :

How to make that career change?

• The first and foremost thing to do – is to Plan. A career change without a concrete plan will lead you nowhere. It might take months also, so be ready for a salary cut.
• Next is to find out, which career is ideal for you. (This point is discussed above.)
• List down the list of career that you want to take up and do your research about each one of them.
  Start the process of network building. Make contact with people who are already working in the field you desire to work. Seek their advice and their experience in job. Be in regular contact with them.
• Start balancing your financial position. Because in the starting you will have to launch yourself and you only will have to support your expenses. So be ready for that.
  In the end, build a new resume and start applying for the new jobs and proceed as per the plan. If you follow the above points and some more, then your career change at thirties will prove to be the best decision you will ever make in your life.