Making a career change

Before you change direction, assessing your current position will help you determine where you want to go.

Where you are now

 You could think about:

• Where you are now;
• What brought you there;
• What you have achieved throughout your career;
• What you like and dislike about your current job;
• What you enjoyed doing in other jobs;
• What is missing from your job at the moment.

Where you want to go

When you have determined your current position, consider where you want to go. If you are interested in a specific job, you should research it. This can be done by talking to people already doing the job or consulting with professionals in our technical and professional networks.

Once you know more about the job, aim to assess your skills and competencies. You can do this by making a list of your general skills and your technical skills. Think about whether you have any transferable skills? If so, are they your strongest skills? Are there any gaps in your skill set? You can use our online professional development system, Career Manager to help you analyse your competencies.

Other things to consider

Other questions you may ask yourself before making a change in your career include:

• What do you want to achieve in your career?
• How will you know when you have achieved your goals?
• Are there any obstacles in your way?
• How long will it take you to get to where you want to be?
• Will you have to return to education?
• Will you be able to cope financially?
• What would changing career entail?
• What are the current trends in the job market?
• What kinds of job are out there?