Often times as we progress through our careers we come to a “crossroads” of sorts where we feel stuck. Maybe you feel like you’re just going through the motions when it comes to work, or that you need to be doing something more fulfilling. Your job may not be terrible, but you just feel like there are bigger things for you out there – that you have outgrown the position. So, what can you do to stop feeling this way? Maybe it is time for a career change.

If you’ve felt this way, a career change might be just what you need. That is not to say that it needs to be in a completely different industry or that you need to go back to school and “figure it out.” This could be as simple as finding a new opportunity within your company, a completely new opportunity, or you could indeed go back to school and learn something new.

If you have found yourself pondering a career change and looking for something that you’re passionate about, BrighterMonday has a few skills you should consider before taking that leap of faith.

Be Clear On What You Want

A career change has the potential to have a major effect on your life – positive or negative. Due to this, it should not be the result of a hastily-made decision. People have a variety of reasons for deciding to leave a job or change a career – a disagreement with a boss, disliking their current company or position, etc. If you think a career change will help you become happier and more fulfilled at work, the first step is figuring out what you want. What do you not like about your current position? What are you looking for in a new opportunity? Do you not like your job or potential career path?

By answering these questions, you should be able to have a clearer picture of how to proceed. Either way, you are going to have to go through the job application process again, which means revamping your resume (make sure you include these five things!).

Conduct a Thorough Research About Ideal Careers

So, your current job is something you’re not passionate about. What are you going to do about it? If you figured out what you’re passionate about as recommended above, you can now start doing your research into careers involving that passion.

If one of the things you disliked at your job was your salary, then it is easy to fall into the trap of looking for jobs with salaries that you think you deserve. However, as BrighterMonday mentions, “a fulfilling career is one that lets you use your natural talent to get the job done. Once you get this right, then the money follows.”

Assess Your Current Skills

Up until this point of your career you have been constantly developing your skills. Even before your first full-time position, you likely had an internship or two in which you were able to apply your skills learned throughout your education. By taking a “skills inventory” and writing down what skills you have, you will be able to rewrite your resume with relative ease and determine whether or not the jobs you’re applying to would be a good fit.

In business, a popular assessment is the “SWOT” analysis, in which you determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You can perform a SWOT for each opportunity you are applying to, which would be a great help and leads to the next tip…

What New Skills Do You Need?

In conducting a SWOT analysis, you can find out what new skills you would need to learn in order to make yourself a competitive job candidate. Even if you do not currently have some of the required skills of your “dream” career, there are plenty of resources available to help you develop them. Additionally, whenever you start a new job there is a learning curve to conquer. Luckily, most companies provide some sort of new-hire training, and you can continue to develop your skills along the way.

Wrap Up

If you’ve started to feel like maybe you’re just going through the motions at work and are “working for the weekend,” then maybe it is time to seriously consider a career change. While your current job might pay the bills, if you aren’t feeling fulfilled at work then you should consider the aforementioned tips and find what you are truly passionate about. Once you find your passion and are able to get paid for doing it, work will not feel like “work” anymore, which is what we all strive for.

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