Many people have the false impression that they have to change careers in ______.

M: Hello. My name’s Patrick Bunyan. I’ve come to talk to you this afternoon about career changes—a topic I guess most of you would be interested in. Well, one reason many people find it difficult to change careers is they think they have to do it in one big leap. Another is simple inertia—they reckon it’s easier to stay with the familiar pain of doing what they don’t like than brave the unknown.
But you don’t have to change careers in one big leap. You can start by taking small steps that will lead to where you want to be professionally, without losing significant income.
This transition begins with conducting a thorough self-assessment that identifies your career goals. Once you know what you want to do, you can begin taking practical steps to land a job in this new field. Here are some ways to make successful transition. You can always build on functional skills. If you like using your core skills and knowledge, you could consider transferring them to another industry or field you might like more. After you’ve identified your key functional skills, you can start listing employers to approach and begin networking with current or past employees at these firms about possible openings.
This strategy lets you apply your experience and wisdom immediately, but the downside of it, however, may be the time it takes for you to find work that’s truly satisfying.
The second possible strategy is to start a parallel career. This strategy allows you to keep your fulltime job, while working weekends or at night in a second profession. You can accomplish the same goal by volunteering.
Working in a second profession will give you the experience you need to pursue it full time. By keeping your day job, you’ll have a steady income while building your credentials. But, you need to bear in mind one thing: be careful not to antagonize your primary employer, since companies don’t always view moonlighting favorably.
What would be a favorable strategy if you want to stay with your current employer? I’d suggest taking an internal transition in such a situation. The process that leads up to landing a new position internally is called ’job enrichment’. This is when you seek new learning opportunities and ways to expand your skills. For some people, this strategy is very popular because they feel like looking at their current jobs and employers from a different perspective.
Well, some people might also have considered returning to school and be students. This is a good strategy if you want to enter a new field that requires educational credentials that are radically different from your background or current degree. Going back to school allows you to learn the new profession and gain credibility, but it can be expensive and keep you from working.
Last but not least, people can go cold turkey with their current job. This is especially effective if you know exactly what you want to do, but you can’t stand being in your current job another day longer.