There may come a time in one’s career when the security of knowing who you work for and what job duties you can successfully do just doesn’t kick it any longer. You long to make a successful career change into a job path where the passion and energy for work returns. With this in mind here are a few (albeit perhaps obvious) options on how you can make that career change both happen and also happen successfully.

Become self employed

The most obvious options – self employment or starting your own business can give you an immediate change to your career path. A dangerous option perhaps if you decide to move career direction entirely, but if you have at least some skills and experience in the business area you follow, it can be an exciting and rewarding career change path to follow.

Return to study

The “long game” approach. Now you are more experienced in life, the option to go back into study and study subjects that will help you shape your desired career, rather than perhaps the subjects your grades permitted, may be a beneficial one. Take note though that this approach whilst in the long term a potentially fruitful path, may take years, not months to achieve and may lead to in the short term, reduced disposable income and free time.

Upskill at work

Not necessarily as difficult as one first might assume. Some employers may encourage upskilling or retraining, rather than losing a valuable employee from the company. They may even advertise training or internal job opportunities, so it’s worth considering what potential opportunities exist within the company you work for, before jumping ship entirely. Be careful in your approach however, since whilst some employers might encourage career development and change, others may simply see it as ’employee dissatisfaction’ and therefore a tip toe approach may be required.

Do proper networking

‘Career change’ doesn’t necessarily mean completely overhauling your skills and education. It may well mean you can take all of your skills, experience and education and transferring them successfully into another different but comparable industry. What better way to find that job opportunity then to undertake proper networking. Attend all those networking breakfasts, dinners, meetups and conferences you’ve perhaps always avoided and you might be surprised what new connections and job opportunities come your way.

Start volunteering

You may need to build up a new portfolio of skills and experiences but don’t have the money to privately re-train or re-study. Volunteering is a great way of learning what a career change might feel like. You could also really make an impact on other people or on society generally, and at the same time be learning a whole bunch of new skills. These in turn might aid any future job application where a career change is your goal.

Go travelling

Leading on from volunteering and often linked, travelling or taking a GAP year can be a great way of trying out lower level jobs, part time roles and also volunteering opportunities. Whilst travelling you may not always undertake jobs that offer the level of skills required for you to change career completely, you may still develop many transferable skills which can help you evaluate the type of job and career you want going forward.