The vast majority of people experience at least 3 major career changes and 12 job changes during their working lives.
With the growing impact of technology, the pace of change may be picking up in the 21st century.
A transition could be involuntary, precipitated by an external change like a layoff, or it may develop as you move on to a new phase in your life and your career.
Some career changes are voluntary, when you feel that another career would be more satisfying.
Both work for you, if you take the right approach and have the right mind set. Start by knowing what you want next, so you can find it.
Both voluntary and involuntary career change will work out well for you, if you take the right approach and have the right mind set.
So, if you haven't already been through a career change yet, you probably will be in the future.
The most successful career changes are usually the result of a thoughtful, methodical process, and we'll help you step through that process here.
A "career" is your profession, and it hopefully has a "career path" of jobs with increasing responsibility and reward.
A career change is typically more significant than a job change. Hopefully, a career change leads to more meaningful and personally rewarding work for you.
Although it may not always bring a greater salary, at least initially, it should bring greater satisfaction -- so that Monday, or whenever you head back to work, isn't the worst day of the week as it is for so many (the day that people in the USA typically have a heart attack, too).
A "job" is what you do every day.
For many of us, a job is not a "career" - it is "just a job." It pays the bills but it doesn't do much more for us.
For those of us who are incredibly lucky or who have paid attention to our own priorities and interests, a job is part of a career. Typically, we don't think of it as a job, when it is something we love to do. It is "my work" or "what I do."
Hopefully, whether we make a voluntary or an involuntary job change, we take the time to make sure the new job fits into our career path. If we don't, chances are good that we'll be in another job search sooner than we need to be because the job isn't a good fit. Which means we won't enjoy doing it, won't do it as well as we could, and may not be good enough at it to keep it for very long.
The best solution is to take the time to think about what you "really want to do when you grow up..." If not now, when?
This section of Job-Hunt will hopefully help you with that transition from job to career, or from one career to another one, as times (and people) change.
Transitions involve three distinct phases: They begin with (1) an ending, develop into (2) a neutral phase, and end with (3) a new beginning. In order to build anew, you need to dismantle and provide space in yourself and your life for the creative act of constructing a new career.
In the 21st century, the toolset for a successful job search has changed substantially and new tools, as well as new obstacles, have been added.
These are the most important tools for your job search today:
When you have your 21st century job search toolbox prepared, you can launch a successful job search and career change.
A career transition can be stressful, long, and often frightening. It is important during this time to have a great support team, lots of patience, and as much information as possible to help you get clarity on what might be around the corner for you. The articles in this guide should help you navigate successfully to your new career.
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recent Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Facebook, LinkedIn.
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