How to start a second career

How to move into a new field and not regret it?

Ten years ago, the career path was usually linear. Employees tried to stay in the same company and gradually move up from position to position. Now the market has changed, with more and more people willing to change not only their company, but also their profession. Professionals are leaving high positions and giving up high salaries to start a second career.

A second career is an opportunity to choose a new line of work, taking into account everything you already know about yourself. Ambitions and preferences at 20 and 40 can be very different. We discover new interests, change habits. New professions emerge, old ones change.

Starting a second career is a big step. You'll have to compete with professionals younger than you, starting at the top of the career ladder and with small salaries. In the end, you may find that your expectations of your new field are not met.

Here's how to start a second career so you won't regret your choice.

Why do you want a change?

To get your bearings and take action, you'll need to know the reason why you want to start a new career. This will help determine your strategy.

Are you ready to turn your hobby into a job or do you want to dedicate yourself to an exciting activity that you don't usually have time for. In that case, you need to calculate whether the new profession will bring a sufficient income and make efforts to realize yourself in the hobby you love.
Things aren't going well at work. This can be the result of exhausting competition or because your skills are not being used to their full potential. Over the years, your profession may become less popular. If this is the case, you should upgrade your qualifications and move into a related profession.
You have reached the ceiling in your first career, you have conquered all the peaks and you do not see opportunities for further growth, but you want to grow. In this case, you can choose a new specialty, which will be relevant for decades, and set yourself new goals.

How to choose a direction

To understand which direction to go, you can ask yourself a few questions:

What skills do you want to learn?Is there a field in which you have dreamed of developing?What do you like and dislike about your current profession?

Surely there are people whose work inspires you, whom you want to look up to. You can study their career path, find interviews with them to understand what their everyday life is like. It may turn out that their work is exactly what you dream of.

A second career is an opportunity to pursue a career that was once interesting. Think back to what you wanted to do when you were a child, what school subjects you liked. You probably have talents that you just didn't have time to develop.

A second career is often a logical consequence of the first. For instance, you could go into business in a field you're already familiar with or move into a related profession. You can also check out job sites for in-demand areas where your skills and experience could be useful.

Once you have decided on your career options, find out what additional training is required for each job. Most occupations can be taken up within a year. But if you have always wanted to be a doctor, for example, you will need several years of training.

It is important to calculate the costs of moving into a new career and find out how much you will be able to earn. But when choosing a new career it is worth considering other factors besides money. When you analyse your options, think about which job will bring you the most joy.

How much money you need to make the transition

A second career requires a certain amount of financial independence. A financial cushion should be enough for at least 1-2 years. During this time you will be able to learn a new profession and start earning money in it. There is a chance that you may not be able to guess right away what your career choice is, and you will have to change several professions. Each attempt will take several months.

Even if you have already decided to give up on your first career, you shouldn't give up and hand in your resignation letter. You can keep on working and learn a new profession in the evenings and at weekends.

How not to lose experience

You have accumulated invaluable experience in your field that will come in handy when you start doing something new. The first career most often gives you:

the ability to work as part of a team;the ability to manage processes and projects;negotiation skills;employee management skills;the ability to train others.

What to say at a job interview

The HR or manager of the company in which you will be starting your second career is bound to ask why you have decided to change your field of work. Colleagues will want to know if you are serious about this change, whether you would want to change direction again in a few months.

Don't have to memorise the answer that you think will satisfy a future employer. Answer this question honestly. In order to decide on a second career and develop successfully in it, you must understand yourself why you have chosen this particular profession, whether you are ready to make it your life's work, what results you want to achieve.

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