Although quitting your current position to embark full-time on a new career search may leave you with a lot more free time, this strategy is also likely to leave you with a lot fewer resources. Unless you have accumulated a significant financial buffer in anticipation of this bold new move, you would be better advised to continue working, circumstances permitting. If your spouse is willing and able to support you during this transition, you may have more flexibility.
Develop a plan of action. This should include a list of your short and long-term career goals. How much time will you allot daily for your new career? Whom do you know who could possibly assist you? What additional training or skills will you require? By when do you hope to accomplish these goals? Depending on your situation, you might consider working with a career coach or counselor, who can assist you with the logistics, as well as offer support and encouragement.
A number of good books exist for both newcomers to the job market and workforce veterans desiring a new vocation. First published in 1974, What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles is arguably the most popular of career guides. Revised every year, Parachute has informed and advised millions of aspiring applicants not merely to find a job, but to discover what they truly enjoy doing, and identify the skills commensurate with their desired occupation. Bolles also has a web site called Job Hunters Bible. Other books that you may find helpful include Do What You Are, by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, and Coach Yourself to a New Career: 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Personal Life, by Talane Miedaner.
Consider distance learning courses and online universities. These institutions are designed with working adults in mind. What seemed like science fiction only a few years ago is now reality. Parents with small children at home are spared the inconvenience of a commute. Obviously, not every vocation lends itself to this particular method, but maybe yours does.
Study the current employment trends to find out who's hiring whom, and for what positions. What are the most popular fields for recent college and vocational school graduates? Find out how much additional training or education you'll require, and how much money you can expect to earn over the next 15 or 20 years. You should also familiarize yourself with the competition. A shortage of workers in a certain field may mean that you'll be in great demand. Or it might mean that there are few positions available.
Be patient. And before you embark on this journey, make sure that you have the desire and the wherewithal for such a transition. A 45-year old accountant who decides suddenly that she wants to become a gymnast is hardly being practical, but stranger things have happened. Whatever your situation, ask yourself, Can I do this? Will I do this? Do I want to do this? In the event of a triple affirmative, go for it.
© April 13, 2013 by Allan M. Heller
Finding and Selecting a Career Coach
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/careercoaching/p/careercoach.htm
What Color Is Your Parachute?
http://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2012/dp/1607740109
Job Hunters Bible
http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/
Do What You Are
http://www.amazon.com/Do-What-You-Are-Personality/dp/0316167266/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365855446&sr=1-1&keywords=do+what+you+are
Coach Yourself to a New Career: 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Personal Life
http://www.amazon.com/Coach-Yourself-New-Career-Professional/dp/0071703098/ref=cm_lmf_tit_10
United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
http://www.usdla.org/
Online Universities
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/
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