Here’s Why It is Never Too Late to Change Your Career Path

Changing your career path might seem like a young person’s game, but the truth is it’s never too late to make a change. If you are looking to reinvent yourself in 2019, don’t limit yourself to an industry where you feel stuck. Experienced professionals are going back to school every day, so don’t let yourself be limited by your skill set. With a little exploration into how your existing skills translate to a new career path, you may not even need to start at the bottom.

If you are wondering how you can make the switch, here’s how to be successful in your career change.

Call On Your Network

Arguably the hardest part of disrupting your career path is rebuilding a professional network from scratch. Recruiting firms can help ease the transition, as it is their job to maintain robust professional networks. But don’t disengage from the process. Reach out to professionals in your new industry for informational interviews to learn more about your target market. Attend networking events and make connections you can depend on to get your foot in the door. Use websites like LinkedIn to meet new people and market your skills. This will not only help you with your transition to a new field, it will also benefit your professional growth in the long run.

Plan Your Transition

Rather than simply deciding your job is no longer for you, it’s important to have a good idea of what industry you would prefer to be in, and what your role should be to accomplish your career goals. Some skills translate better between roles than others, but there is always the opportunity to learn what you need to make it happen. As an experienced professional, you know a lot already about what it’s like to work in a business environment and what interpersonal and time-management skills are required to be effective in the job. What you need to learn is what skills are necessary to fill in the gaps and make you a competitive candidate.

That starts with a plan. Know what industry you want to join. Think about what type of job you would ideally like to have, based on your interests and experience. Research what positions are likely to be available within that industry. Consider how your unique experiences and skills are likely to carry over to a new position in a different industry. Research trends and prepare yourself to seek out work that will be in demand in the future as well as the present. Then, go out and get the experience or knowledge you lack so you can provide value to employers.

Rethink Your Experience

Your number-one priority when changing careers should be to market your experience to put you in the best possible light. You don’t have to start at the bottom of the ladder when coming into a new role or industry. Each industry has its own niches and demands that employers are desperate to fill. Knowing what those unique issues may be, and marketing your experience in a way that will assure employers your past work will translate well to their industry and their projects is key. Assess your skill set. Describe your past successes in a way that is free of industry jargon, so future employers can understand how that experience would relate to future work. The opportunities that open up to you when you are prepared and passionate about an opportunity may just surprise you.

We’re here to help you find the right path!

To learn more about how you can shift tracks in your career, connect with the career experts at Ag 1 Source today.