Career is not just a
mere work we do to get paid. It is the most important part of our life.
Moreover, the career path we chose, chooses our lifestyle in turn. You may want
to be an entrepreneur, but if you are stuck at a 9 to 5 then your ideal life
and the current life might not align and this will be a major cause of stress
and anxiety.
Most people suffer
from anxiety when they are not in their desired job. They work for half of
their life only to realize that this is not what they wanted. The suffering of
'What next?' and the regret of not trying what you wanted will result in
terrible anxiety. This may also result in less productivity in your current
job.
It is always good to
know what you want and put your efforts in that direction. Remember, everything
is possible if you set your mind on it. If your passion is really important to
you, you will find a way to do it no matter what crisis you face. Reasons such
as financially weak or not so good at it are just mere reasons. You may achieve
heights if you do what you love. Take up the chance buddy, it's your time to
live. Below are the 7 steps you can follow to make an effective career switch
Step 1: Monitor your
emotions
Sometimes we get so
used to running around the clock that we forget what we are feeling. Sometimes,
just pause and sink into reality. Journal your thoughts about how and what
you feel about your job. Just write it don’t just think. Thinking dissolves and
only creates chaos inside your mind but journaling will help you understand
what you are thinking and will help you organize your thinking pattern.
See if your thoughts
on your current job are not aligning with the thoughts you have on your desired
job. If so, you can continue with the next steps.
Step 2: Explore your
interests
If you are not
satisfied with your current job and its attributes, list down the jobs that you
feel you will be satisfied with. I did the same. Once I was not satisfied with my job, I listed down my interests along with what I am good at (Ikigai
might help you find your sweet spot in career). I knew that I am empathetic and
I love people. I also wanted to help people with mental illness. I also wanted
to become a content creator/writer/coach/counselor/teacher. I had a lot of
options.
After listing down
my interests, I started writing pros and cons for each of the options. And then,
I chose one that really resonates with my ideal career. I have always been a
person who wants to try millions of things at the same time. But, this time when
I wrote down and filtered my interests, I stick to it because I knew I cannot
be accurate what I need more than this.
Step 3: Train in
your passion while still holding on to your current job
Many may be cool
with the first and second steps but quit at the third step because of lame
reasons they give like 'I have no time to learn', ' I am exhausted', 'I am too
busy to work on a side hustle'. The hell with all the excuses! I would tell that,
if you are giving an excuse then you are not serious enough in switching your
career. You can well stop trying and go back to your soul-sucking job.
You should just not
want a career change, you should be obsessive about it. Just quitting and
trying to figure out what you want seems idiotic. Find what you want and learn
it while still earning money out of your current job. Invest in learning what
you want. Train your passion so that you can happily turn it into a profession.
Step 4: Network with
people who are already in your desired job
Search for people
who are already in the place you want to be. Observe their lifestyle and ask
yourself 'Is this the life I want to lead?'. Talk with them and find out how
they work. Learn the pros and cons of your desired job. Will you be able to
come out of your comfort zone to work for your passion? Are you ready to start
over again? Ask yourself numerous questions. When you talk with people who are
already in your desired position, they might give you knowledge that is worthy
and you will learn about your desired profession before taking it as your full-time job. Never jump into anything blindly and then regret. It is better to
have extensive research before jumping even if you know it is going to be
hard.
Step 5: Try to work
part-time in your passion
Give up your
weekends to work for your passion. Before starting it full-fledged, give it a
try by working part-time on it. Track your emotions when working on your
passion. How do you feel? Do you feel satisfied? Content? Not good? Or not
meant for you?. This will be a good chance for you to identify if this is what you
really want.
Step 6: Save at
least 6 months of expenses before quitting
This is really an
important step. Please never give up your day job without having adequate funds
for yourself. Money is really important. You can talk dialogues like 'Money is
not important', 'Money does not matter'. But, that is not the reality, money does
matter. If you take up your desired job without a backup you might run short of
money, this in turn will trigger the emotions of not having enough money. This
might affect your interest towards your passion even. So before quitting make a
plan. A proper plan which will support you financially and emotionally.
Step 7: Quit
The time has come.
After following all the above six steps with full heart, now you can go ahead
and quit the job you don't like. Sometimes following the above steps might even
take years but believe me it is going to be worth it. Life is going to happen
once and this society has already made enough damages to how we need to lead
our life. Let us not put on more baggage and lead a life to pay bills and
secure luxuries of no use. Your intuition and soul know where your heart
belongs to and it will take you there. You just have to believe it and not be
too hard on yourselves for letting you follow your dreams. Let's all live the
life of our dreams without any judgment.
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