Changing careers can be exceptionally daunting. Unlike changing jobs, where it is a matter of finding a new employer, changing careers typically means changing industries. You need to retrain, and you may even need to start from the bottom. Though you may need to start at a relatively lower position in your new career, you will never start from scratch.
You will be taking all the knowledge, skills, and experience you already have with you no matter where you go. This unique background can help you really stand out in your new field. You may become something of a jack-of-all-trades, or your background may give you a unique insight that your peers don’t have.
The approach you use will depend on where and what type of career you are interested in. Going from working in marketing to starting your own business is an extension of your career, and everything you learned so far in your marketing career will be a benefit to you regardless of the business you start.
Going from an office job to a highly specialized job like nursing, however, requires additional steps and preparation.
What is important to note is that you can start a second (or third or fourth) career. Retraining takes time and dedication but retraining later on in your career can show dedication and passion that others simply don’t have.
Are you ready for a second career?
Before you get started with retraining or further training, it is important that you ask yourself whether you are ready for a second career or are simply ready for a new job.
Signs you are ready for a new job
If you are tired of working for your current company, don’t like your coworkers or boss, and are simply not passionate about the values or goals of your company, it is time to make a change. If you still enjoy the actual work you do or find the field itself interesting, then you should first aim to find a new employer.
Finding the right employer that helps you get the most out of your career and can help you move onward to the next step is very important. Before you make a big career change, first try to find a better employer and a new job that you feel excited about.
Signs you are ready for a second career
If you hate the work that you do and dream of doing anything else, then it is time for a career change. Many office jobs and other administrative roles can be wholly uninspiring. If your career so far has required minimal training and does not engage your interests, then you owe it to yourself to find something that will.
Before you jump into a second career, it’s a good idea to do some soul-searching. Try to get to the root of what you want to do and how you want to dedicate your time. Your job shouldn’t just be about a paycheck – you need to get something intangible of it as well.
If you feel like you are doing something worthwhile when you care for others, then you can look into care roles like nursing. If you care for the environment, you can transition into non-profits or energy companies.
The point is that you need your second career to address one intrinsic goal and passion. You don’t have to like your job every day – you can still get stressed – but it needs to be fulfilling.
When you need a degree to retrain
If you need to take an exam and earn a license in order to do your new job, then you will need formal training. Some professions only need you to train for a few days or weeks, while others require a full degree. If you wanted to become a nurse, for example, the BSN can take up to four years (or even longer).
One thing to keep in mind when you are retraining with a degree is to always cut corners where you can. Cutting corners in this instance does not mean that you are in any way reducing the quality of your education. It simply means that you are fast-tracking.
For example, instead of earning the full BSN, you can go for an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, also known as an ABSN. The ABSN teaches you everything that you need to know through a mix of online education, an on-campus intensive workshop, and clinical hours. What it doesn’t do, however, is make you retake existing credits that you may already have if you have earned a bachelor’s in the past.
The ABSN is only available to those with a bachelor’s degree. It is a fast, efficient way of transitioning from your current career into nursing simply because it allows you to put your past to use.
When you don’t need formal retraining
If you don’t need formal retraining in order to make the transition, then you need to consider all learning opportunities. You can learn online for free, you can find workshops, and, of course, you can always earn a degree voluntarily.
While you are training and learning the new skills that you want and need for your new career, aim to volunteer or even find internships in your new field. If you want to work in a new position in your current industry, then start putting feelers out there, and see what your own network can do for you.
The importance of lifelong learning
Regardless of what career you transition into, there is one thing that will remain constant: the need for lifelong learning. You can catch up to where your peers are in terms of skills and knowledge, but the world moves fast, and if you want to really make something out of your new career, then you are going to want to continue to learn and train.
Sometimes, this ongoing learning is the only way to progress and continue through your career. With nursing, if you want to advance to the next level, APRN, then you need to continue to learn and train. In the nursing example, you will need an MSN and can progress your training and education even further with a DNP, EdD, or PhD.
There are so many ways that you can learn, both formally and informally, that will help you with your second career. Regardless of whether you have formal education tracks to choose, you will always want to explore new information on your own time. Building up background information can improve your understanding. This can be directly in the field or topic that you want to specialize in, or it can be done to give yourself a wider context.
If you are a nurse, for example, learning about different cultures can help you serve all of your patients better.
Approaches to Retraining: Choosing the Best Option for You
Overall, there are two main decisions you will need to make when it comes to retraining for your second career. This applies regardless of how you intend to retrain.
Part- or Full-Time Education
If you only need a short training period or alternatively need to continue to support yourself and your loved ones while you work, then the best option is to study part time. This way, you can manage your retraining around your other responsibilities. You may even be able to continue working full time in your current career.
If you want to go from working as a production coordinator to a nurse, for example, but have responsibilities at home, then taking on a nursing degree part time is going to be the better option. If you don’t have those responsibilities and want to get started in nursing as fast as you can, committing to a degree or education workshop full time is going to be the better choice for you.
In some cases, it is a no-brainer. If you work part time, then you can work around most degrees and workshops. In other instances, you may have personal responsibilities like raising children and would simply benefit from managing your time with a part-time degree.
Online or On-Campus Education
Online education is ideal for digital skills and theoretical knowledge. On-campus education is perfect for when you need physical skills to back you up. Working in the trades will always require in-person training, for example.
Occasionally, you will need a hybrid approach. Most nursing programs, for example, are primarily online with a short, intensive on-campus education immersion experience. To qualify for the exam, you will also need a clinical placement.
If an online degree does have in-person commitments, then it needs to offer a specific, complimentary service or means of accommodation.
Memorize and Absorb What You Learn Better with These Tips
When it comes to actually absorbing, understanding, and integrating what you learn, there are a few tips that will make it more effective and natural. To start, know that cramming never works. You may be able to remember facts for a short period of time, but that isn’t conducive for your career. You chose this topic or skill, and therefore you need to be able to accurately recall all the information you will need.
In order to make it natural to memorize large batches of information, start by rewriting what you are taught in your own words. It doesn’t matter how long-winded, short, or strange your explanation is to anyone else. What matters is that the concept or skill is easier to understand.
From there, you will want to continue to revise in short doses and, ideally, more than once per day. To avoid having to read the same notes over and over again, rewrite them each time you cover a new subject. Typically, the new subject will contain the most in-depth information while the older subjects get smaller as you summarize them more efficiently.
Eventually, your notes should be a series of reminders. Your brains would have all the information you need, and what is left of your notes should be ways to trigger the information that you need.
Spreading out your studying and improving how you study can immediately help you make a difference when it comes to your degree or another retraining program.
Make Your Studying Social
Networking is always going to be important when it comes to kickstarting a second career. A good place to get started with your new network is with your educators and fellow students. Get in touch and stay in touch. Being social and putting together study groups and the like can even help with your academic goals.
Don’t just stop there, however. If you want to really build your network, you’ll want to start attending talks and other industry-relevant events. Go to the mixers and meet the people in your new field. If you can, go for a soft network connection, meaning you connect with that person on a job site or professional social media so that you can slowly get to know each other professionally and become more natural networking connections.
Always Make Your Health and Wellbeing the Priority
Changing careers is stressful. Taking on a degree while you continue to work is stressful. There are a lot of unknowns and a lot of work ahead of you. That is why it is very important that you start to put your health and wellbeing first.
By adjusting your health routines, you can start to put together a clearer baseline for yourself. This can take a while. If you are used to and comfortable with unhealthy eating, for example, then it may take some time before you adjust to a healthier diet.
Try to improve your routine and health on your own as much as you can. Once you have done that, you can then take your remaining health-related concerns to a professional. Think of it as cleaning up a messy room so that you can see where the damage is.
This will help you improve your health and wellbeing, which in turn will make it less stressful and easier to retrain and start your second career.
