Should careers be switched at all in one life-time ? Changing jobs is easy but changing your career path is a BIG decision. What factors should be in-depth evaluated & what key-points should one keep in mind before switching his career ?
This question was posed on LinkedIn, a good place to connect for job search and career change. Some participants answered, “Why not?” Others stressed the need to make a careful decision.
Here’s what I answered:
If it’s time to switch careers, you will know! You start making mistakes and risk sabotaging your success. You realize you no longer look forward to getting up in the morning.
Sometimes it’s out of your hands. Your career may disappear due to technological advances or … who knows?
My favorite book on career change is Herminia Ibarra’s Working Identity.
She explains that career change is not a straight line; it’s more of a zig zag. That’s my own experience as well as the experience of career change clients I’ve worked with.
That said, the single biggest obstacle to career change is time. If you work 70 hours a week you may have to save money till you can take time off and make a clean break. it’s risky but so is staying in a job where you are miserable.