Start Your Dream Career

Changing careers can be a scary decision, but for many people, it can also be the best decision they’ve ever made. In Australia, 57% of people have made a career change before; 19% have done so in the last twelve months.

As we go through our journey of life, there’s often twists and turns that we experience which ultimately change our mindset and values. So where to start? Here are our tips;

Reflect

Start with asking yourself questions only you can answer like, ‘what do I want to achieve’, ‘what is it about my current career that I no longer have a passion for’, or ‘can I continue what I’m doing now for the next five years’. The purpose isn’t to have all the answers right now, but to get you started on identifying what it is you truly want out of life.

You might also want to make a list of strengths and areas for development. This can help identify the types of skills you are most good at. It’s also often an indicator of what you enjoy about your job and alternatively, the tasks that attract a lot of procrastination. You can then use your list as a guide when looking at criteria in other job advertisements.

Talk, Talk, Talk

Find someone in your network that you can talk to and who you trust. Whilst this decision needs to be yours, it’s always good to bounce your ideas off a trusted individual, or someone who has been in your position. Chatting things over can relieve some of the fears or pressures that may be holding you back.

Seek advice from professionals too. Career counsellors have a wealth of knowledge and contacts who may even find your perfect job that you’ve never even heard of.

Design your Vision Board

Goal setting, creating a plan and developing a timeline are all great tools that can help keep you on track. It’s also easy to get caught up in your existing day to day, so make sure your goals are visible everywhere. Pictures can replace words and post-it notes are small enough that you can stick them anywhere. Rooms where you spend a lot of time should be promoting your desires or sparking creativity on a regular basis. A good place to start if you don’t have a specific area, office or space, is to put notes on your mirror. Almost everyone will look in the mirror at least once a day, so add some focus to your day that will encourage you to take those steps.

Job Boards

Sometimes to better understand what is expected from a role, a good place to research are existing job boards. Sunny Coast Jobs, for example, advertise for local positions, so having a look through recent job advertisements will indicate the types of industries that require employees on the Sunshine Coast.

Network & Education

There’s a saying that ‘you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with’, but what if those people aren’t millionaires and that’s where you want to be? Luckily for us in this modern day, is that we do have access to millionaires, lots of them, in the form of books, social media, podcasts and networking events. The great thing about most of these tools is that we can access them when we feel like it. We can listen to an audio book or podcast on our commute to work, or take some time reading a book before bed. Make the most of social media platforms, see what others are doing and watch their stories for insight into what it takes. This may not always be the most reliable source, but in a world where you can be Insta-famous, people are more than happy to share their experiences and challenges they’ve gone through to get where they are today.

Volunteer

If you’re trying to tap into a certain industry, but lack relevant experience, see if there are opportunities to volunteer. Not only are you developing your own skill set, but it’s likely you’re helping someone else too. If you can’t volunteer in your desired role, think outside the box. Customer service comes in many forms, so be mindful about how skills are transferable.