Thinking of changing careers/jobs? Make sure you ‘Reality test’
So you are not happy in your current job/career and have finally reached a point where you decided to make a career change. You also have a few alternative job/career options in mind but are not sure whether they will be right for you and if they will meet your expectations. What next?
Reducing uncertainty is very helpful for making a successful career change
It is natural and very common for people to feel uncertain at this stage, which causes them to get stuck and not move forward with their career change plans. Even if they have a good idea of what they want from a job and have shortlisted a few matching/ideal options, it is hard to make the leap because they have no way of relating to the career options they selected. Without having done the actual job, it is hard to really know what it will be like and no matter how much you research on the internet or in the library, it is all too theoretical.
The best way to know if a job will be right for you, is by doing the actual work involved. However, this is not a very feasible and practical option, since you cannot be employed in and try-out all the jobs you have shortlisted. Therefore the solution is to go for the next best option, in order to get a first-hand feel of what a job is really like. This can be done by ‘reality testing’, which involves conducting small/low risk experiments to get a better idea of potential career options. Reality testing takes you beyond introspection and theoretical research, into an action mode, which is very beneficial. It moves you from saying ‘I think I might like this job’ closer to ‘I know I will like this job’. Some ways in which you can reality test are:
- Internships: Work in the job for a few months
- Job shadowing: Tag along with someone who does the job you want, for a day/week
- Volunteering: Offer your services for free for a short period of time (part-time especially)
- Projects: Take on projects (in your current job or outside) which have aspects/elements of the type of work you want
- Joining relevant clubs, associations: To meet people and take part in activities which are closely related to your job target
- Participating in workshops, courses and seminars: Again, in order to learn more about your job target and meet people who know more about it
- Just meeting people for a chat: It is also very useful to meet people who are actually doing (or have done) the job you are interested in. You can ask them questions to confirm if the job is really what you expect it to be
By going a step further and ‘reality testing’ your career options, you will get rid of a lot of uncertainly/ambiguity and be more certain on which options are best for you. While on the topic of career choice and career change, I think it will be useful to mention a few general tips/points as well:
- Remember that there isn’t just one perfect job for each person. There are a number of options which will suit you to varying degrees
- Career change is best done in an incremental way i.e. not through big drastic decisions and moves. Take small steps to get closer to the job you want. With every step/change you will learn more about exactly what you want and can make additional gains in future steps/changes. So don’t aim for a straight jump into your perfect career – it will typically be a winding process and take a few rounds of change to get where you want
- Keep in mind that what you want will keep changing and therefore you will need to keep changing what you do and how you do it. This does not mean that you will need to keep switching careers. It means that once you are on the right track, you will need to keep making small changes here and there, in order to stay on course
