{"id":9662,"date":"2020-07-08T12:09:06","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T19:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.codingdojo.com\/blog\/?p=9662"},"modified":"2020-07-08T12:09:06","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T19:09:06","slug":"career-change-at-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.codingdojo.com\/blog\/career-change-at-40","title":{"rendered":"How To Make A Successful Career Change At 40"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you thinking about how to make a career change at 40? It\u2019s never too late for a career change. With the right tools, guidance and motivation, nothing is impossible. Skills can be learned. Jobs can be found. Progress can be remade. And it\u2019s worth remembering that most of the experience you have will be useful, regardless of the industry you\u2019re moving to.\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt might be scary, but it\u2019s possible. All it takes is a choice. So if you\u2019re unhappy in your current position, and you want to move to something completely different, here are the steps to take to make it a reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figure out what you\u2019d like to do<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

The hardest part is deciding which path you\u2019d like to take when making a career change. Maybe you\u2019ve always wanted to be a detective. Maybe you have a hankering for astrophysics. Maybe you\u2019d like to dance on stage. Or maybe you don\u2019t really know.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grab a piece of paper<\/span><\/h2>\n

On it, create four headers: <\/span>what I want, what I can do, jobs that do that, <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>what I need to learn<\/span><\/i>. Fill out “what I want,” first. You can be as specific as you like. It could be that you want to be a doctor, but it doesn\u2019t need to be a job. It could be that you want to play piano every day or simply to help people.<\/span>
\nOnce you have your list, write down all the skills you already have. Don\u2019t leave anything out. So put down your qualifications, but also add skills like “<\/span>good with money”<\/span><\/i> or “<\/span>able to organize<\/span><\/i>.” If you\u2019re struggling to think of anything, ask a friend to help you out.<\/span>
\nMatch those skills with the things you want to do. Do any jobs jump to mind? Write them all down in the third column. You don\u2019t need to have every skill that job might need. That\u2019s what the final column is for.<\/span>
\nLastly, once you have your list of jobs, write down where the gaps in your knowledge are. Search for the roles online and look through a few job descriptions. What are they asking for? Do you have those skills?<\/span><\/p>\n

Decide what suits you best<\/span><\/h2>\n

Go through your list of jobs and star the ones that really make you excited. Try to keep it to only two or three. Once you have those, you can look back at the skills you\u2019d need to do those roles. <\/span>At that point, all you need to do is get those skills. There\u2019s nothing else standing in your way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Struggling to think of what you\u2019d like to do?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are plenty of jobs out there that you might not even know about. So it\u2019s also worth doing an interest test. <\/span>CareerOneStop has a good one<\/span><\/a>: it only takes a couple of minutes, and it\u2019ll show you a list of roles based on your answers.<\/span>
\nThis is a great way to find out about professions that you\u2019ve never heard before. And perhaps find a career path that suits you best.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get training<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Now that you have an idea of the path you want to take, there\u2019ll likely be a few gaps in your knowledge. It\u2019s time to level yourself up. <\/span>There are a few ways to get the training you might for a career change need.<\/span><\/p>\n