Career change is difficult even under the best of circumstances. Job seekers are sometimes immobilized by the prospect of change. Many career changers in the first steps of exploration have several questions, such as:

• How will I make a living while I am in the process of making this career change?
• Will I lose income in my new career?
• How long will it take?
• What should I expect the process to be like?
• How do I do it?
• What resources do I need?
• Do I have what it takes to make this change?

When you ask applicants about career change, it means different things to different people. A career change is any step (little or large) you take to better your present career situation.

Though they might seem dramatic to you, not all career changes are dramatic. For instance, if you are dissatisfied with your present company, a move outside the company would make you happier. Naturally, in this case, it would be important to put your energy into finding a new job.

You can be working for a great company, but have a bad boss.The strategy here might be to look within the company. Most companies have opportunities for internal movement.

Sometimes, the job itself has become boring and tedious. Perhaps, you need to approach how you do your job differently. In other words: what can I do to make my job more interesting? Can I take classes? Can I learn new skills on the job? What about taking on new projects?

It is all a matter of perception. By infusing interest and variety in your personal life, there are outside benefits to your work life. Perhaps by taking a dance class, or getting involved with a social or community group, your current job might seem more interesting because you are getting stimulation in other ways.

Changing industries is another way of keeping in contact with your core strengths, skills, and interests, however, utilizing these skills in a new area. For instance, if you are a secretary and you have worked in the electronics field, why not consider industries exciting to you, such as the non-profit world, or education, government, or research companies?

Changing roles within your industry or company is another way to affect positive change. With change, comes a learning curve, as well as marketing yourself in a new role. You might have take classes, as well as talk to people in your industry to find out how to make that transition. For instance, an engineer who would like to go into marketing: by virtue of his/her experience, he/she would bring a richness of background – combining technical and communication skills.

The more dramatic the career change is, the more energy it takes. Many older workers have the perception that it is too late to change careers. Not so. I have worked with many applicants who have successfully completed career changes. For example: a restaurant manager who become a technical writer, an engineer who became a counselor, and a lawyer re-directed his law background to a nonprofit setting.

How do you make such steps?
First and foremost, is self-assessment. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Look critically at your skills, interests, your values in the context of your desired work environment.

Second, do your homework. Research likely areas of career change. Part of this homework includes going to job fairs. Look at web recruitment sites. The Bureau of Labor Statistics www.bls.gov maintains great information about thousands of occupations. Attend professional association meetings (where the action is).

Third, talk with people who work in those occupations. Ask your friends and associates if you know people who could help you find the type of job you are seeking. Ask teachers and professionals who work in your field of interest. If you currently work for a large company, it is likely there would be a department where you could find people to whom you could talk.

Talk with people with who give you both energy and valuable information. Most likely, you’ll find that the very people you speak with are career changers themselves.

Once, you have decided upon your career goal, obtain as much knowledge and experience as you can by going to professional conferences And remember:

• Not all new career goals entail a four-year or advanced degree. You may be able to enroll in a Certificate course with a UC Extension, community college, or State Extension program.
• Internships/Volunteerism gives you project experience.This will be valuable information you can place on your resume.
• An entry level job in the field can provide you with an overview of where you might like to end up.
• Read professional journals to learn about the hot topics. For instance, if you are in the human resources field, there are numerous magazines that discuss human resources issues.

The important point is don’t talk about changing, get started, today! I worked with two laid off workers who wanted to become police officers. One of them was enrolled in the College of San Mateo’s Administration of Justice classes. He also was a reserve officer (he volunteered in his spare time with the police department). The other applicant talked about taking the police exam (no experience, no classes). Who do you think got the job? I think you know the answer.

And finally, a successful job search begins with re-vamping your resume to reflect your new goals and objectives. Yana Parker’s How to Write a Damn Good Resume is a great guide for the career changer.

And always, network, continue to learn, and keep re-evaluating your job search goals.

Career change comes with small, medium, or large steps, from changing your job, or company, to re-looking at how you do your job, or dramatically switching what you do. The fear of change is often greater than actually getting in there and doing it.