On 25th September, I was on the expert panel for the Guardian Careers discussing the ingredients of a successful career change. You can find the full discussion here. Below I am publishing some of the most relevant questions and my answers to them. Hope the tips provided will be helpful to you in your career change pursuits. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on dasha@careercoachingventures.com.

Q: I am transitioning from 15 years as a self-employed photographer and home educator. I want to transition into the finance and investment sector because that was my primary interest before I had a family. I do not have much in the way of relevant experience. I am currently studying for an MSc in International Business. How can I demonstrate to employers that they can take a chance on somebody who is applying for entry level positions who has great life experience, takes risks but is older?

A: Hi, you obviously have a lot of good experience, ambition and I believe that doing your MSc will increase your chances considerably. However, the realistic situation in the finance sector now is that they prefer to hire candidates straight out of university (their target schools) for junior (analyst) positions or MBAs for associate positions. So I would suggest, the best strategy in your case would be to start networking/getting to know senior people in your target institutions straight away as due to the nature of your background, you would most likely need a personal recommendation for them to hire you. Work on your CV emphasizing your numerical, financial analysis and leadership skills and you can also stress your entrepreneurship experience (working as a photographer for instance). All the best of luck!

Q: I am a graduate of two years and currently I am in a job that is not that level. My dream was a carreer in TV and media but it looks like I have to part that on hold. Now I am trying to figure what I want to do because everything else does not inspire me as much. How do I choose a career?

A: First of all, what is the main reason you think your dream career is out of reach? Perhaps, it seems so at first but if you dig deeper and brainstorm, you may come up with some closest alternatives or subsector within your dream industry you could start with? Or perhaps gaining some voluntary experience within TV and media sector? If you feel you don’t like the work you are doing now, then I would consider various ways to reach your dream – do you know somebody in the sector who can assist you in getting unpaid work as a starting point to get your foot through the door for instance?

Q: How to tell if an employer welcomes candidates who changed careers? any specifics/places to look for..?

A: I believe that the majority of employers would love to hear from ambitious career changers but the best way to actually understand the internal culture of the business and the way they treat various categories of people, including during their recruitment process, is to talk to those currently employed within the company. I would say – spread your net wide – from more junior to senior employees to really understand how it all works and whether the culture is accepting or not.

Q: How can non-student with 1 career already get work experience when all w/e are geared at young students or recent grads?

A: Generally it depends on the industry. With one career already behind your belt, you have a lot of practical skills new grads would not necessarily possess and this is what you should stress during your application/interview process – how the skills you have gained make you different/better than those straight from university. 

Having done it myself and having helped a number of my clients to accomplish it too, I can say with honesty that changing career path is one of the most difficult tasks one can face. And this shouldn’t come as a surprise – transitioning to a new career takes a lot of courage, time, money and energy investment.

No matter what kind of career move you are planning to make, it is important to remember these five key points:

1. Make sure you are making the right move by researching the new field, opportunities within it and whether you are going to be a good fit personality and experience-wise. Talk to as many people in the new field as possible to gauge their perspective on your fit.
2. Consider doing an advanced degree, such as Master’s or MBA to help you gain knowledge and credibility necessary for moving into a particular field. For example, if you have always worked as a sales professional and would like to move into the field of management consulting, then an MBA is definitely the right way to go.
3. Gather the support of your family behind you – you will definitely need it along the way as the path to a new career may not always be smooth.
4. Consider different locations for your future work – as you have already made up your mind to change your career path, it may make sense to try living in a new location. You may have always dreamt about working in Australia for instance – now may be the time to turn this dream into reality!
5. Don’t rush. Take your time to think and plan. Take small methodical steps – thinking each and every move through will result in less disappointment and decisions you may regret after.

In this article, I have also included a short interview with Ahmad Bhatti – management consultant of Clique Consulting (ahmad@cliqueconsulting.co.uk) who resigned from his steady and well-paid job to pursue the path of self-employment in his own consulting company.

1. After you finished your MBA you decided to quit your job and pursue the path of self-employment. What motivated you to do this?

During my MBA, I started exploring to see what was around in terms of exciting and challenging opportunities. I started developing my internal and external networks. Soon after finishing my MBA, I was offered an interesting assignment of managing a collaborative R&D project in China. I opted to quit my job to take that opportunity as an independent consultant because I believed that the path of self-employment could provide me with variety of challenging assignments and would also allow me freedom to pursue my career goals.
2. What main challenges did you encounter in working for yourself on a consulting basis? And how did you tackle them?

I would say that it is hard to find the first 5 clients and to be honest I am still in the process of achieving this bit as staying in China the majority of the time did not help me establishing myself in UK. In my opinion, it takes time and determination and one should never give up despite all the challenges that may come up. Again, your network and attending various relevant events will help you achieve this.

For me time management was the second biggest challenge. But having a proper and balanced routine of work, family, leisure can tackle this issue easily.
3. What are main differences in your opinion between working in the UK and China?

There is no short answer to this question but it is mainly about culture and working practices. In a nutshell, it is all about ‘think global, act local’ if one wants to get a positive outcome.
4. What advice would you give to all those seeking to change a career path?

Always give consideration to your skill set and desire when thinking of changing a career path but it also important to plan, talk to others who are already working in that sector, and seek advice from career professionals.

I would love to hear from those of you who have changed a career path or planning to do so. Please post your thoughts in the Comments section below.

How many times have you overheard your colleagues, friends and family complaining how much they don’t like their jobs?  And how many of us have thought to ourselves at least once how much happier we would be living a simple lifestyle somewhere in the picturesque countryside without the constant worries of commuting to work in overcrowded buses and trains and then rushing to the nursery or school to pick up our kids.

I had these thoughts on an almost daily basis when I was working for an international company in London many years ago. I liked the working environment and my colleagues, who all had interesting backgrounds. But I didn’t enjoy the job itself. I started as an analyst there straight after university and, at first it was all very exciting with my responsibilities including recruiting international teams of researchers, travelling to the Czech Republic and Slovakia and presenting to large multinational corporations. Then after about a year into my job, I grew tired of the same repetitive tasks, the same people I had to manage, the same queries from the same clients. And I knew it was time to leave…Work had become a chore, not a source of inspiration and self-improvement.

Doing something you don’t enjoy can make your life seem dull and unrewarding. It can kill your creative side and turn you into a human ‘robot’ doing the same thing over and over again with automatic precision but with a lack of thought and enthusiasm.

I was talking to my friend yesterday and mentioned that after I set up my own business, I felt that I have finally uncovered my creative side, which seemed long lost during my previous employment. When you do a job you are passionate about, working at the weekends and in the evenings no longer seems like a burden. In fact, you start to look forward to more work, become more of a risk-taker, learn to overcome difficulties and challenges with a positive attitude and self-belief. Setting my own business, for instance, made me  free to discover new angles and approaches, unconstrained by bureaucracy, rigidity and strict reporting lines of an organisation I used to work for.

If you feel stuck and unhappy in your current job, then it is time for you do something about it. It may be hard to break away from something you know so well (and are good at) and venture into the unknown, but it is well worth the risk. Once you start the process, you will discover the inner strength and motivation you need to make your life-changing move. Don’t be afraid to explore opportunities and new avenues in your professional life – even something you have never thought you could be good at. Be daring and take calculated risks and you will get a return on your investment! I love this quote by Alexander Solzhenitsyn “If one is forever cautious, can one remain a human being?”

I will be glad to hear your thoughts – please feel free to post your comments!

Dasha Amrom