WIN THE CAREER-CHANGE BATTLES: For a Successful Career-Change:Dig Your Well Before You Become Thirsty- Part 1

Before we go into the article proper, let us consider some relevant facts you may or may not know and questions you may have asked or about to ask concerning unemployment and the sure ways to get a dream job:

FACT 1:

The world is home to millions of unemployed. This staggering statistics means that at this very moment millions of men and women alike are being subjected to unemployment related poverty and all its ramifications.

QUESTION 1:

Isn't it amazing that in the face of the above mentioned statistic governments at all levels, especially in Nigeria, continue to be lukewarm about unemployment problems and only pay lip service in public fora where job creation strategies are discussed?

FACT 2:

My father taught me when I was young that I had nothing to be afraid of as long as he's around, I know he's right.

QUESTION 2:

Can a government play the role of daddy to men and women with regards to unemployment problems?

QUESTION 3:

Don't you think you may reach your retirement age before you get a job of your dream today, if you fold your hands and wait for the government(s) to get you a job by playing daddy?

TODAY'S REALITY:

The reality today is that your education and training career decisions, professionally crafted resume and excellent performance in the job interview are the sure things that will guarantee you get your dream job. This is why I have decided to focus on helping you through this article in your career management.

SUCCESSFUL CAREER-CHANGE STATISTICS:HOW TO SUCCESS CHOOSE THE RIGHT CAREER FOR YOUR FUTURE

Whether you are newly graduated from high school or currentlyemployed in a job you hate and want something else, choosing acareer is a very important decision. This writer is especially knowledgeable about this, and he knows that it's a decision that shouldn't be made lightly; it simply isn't easy to do in the firstplace.When you're young, you have a myriad of choices ahead ofyou, but that is really true at any age. It doesn't matter how young or old you are; you can still make a career choice that canmake you happy and enhance your life even if it's a drastic one.With all the different occupations to choose from, where doyou even begin to find something that you will be good at andlove it as well? The truth is, all you have to do is look insideyourself to find out where you should be. Plenty of people havemade career changes late in life.Grandma Moses began her painting career when she was wellinto her eighties, and she still became one of the well-respectedpainters in the art world. Many professional athletes have tomake career choices once they are no longer able to play at acompetitive level. Stay-at-home moms with children in schoolsuddenly find themselves wanting to do something worthwhileinstead of staying home all day. Some of them have even builthobbies into multimillion-dollar businesses!It happens all the time and for a variety of reasons. Theworld's business economy is volatile at the very least, and manycompanies have to lay off workers or close the business entirely.That leaves displaced workers facing unanticipated career moves.In fact, the reality is that the average person will make two to fivecareer changes between the times they enter the work force towhen they retire.Many colleges have displaced-workers programs and adulteducationprograms that can ease people into a career change.Sometimes, however, the best way to make a career change is tojust jump in and do it. But how do you know what career tochoose? That's why you're reading this book. We can help guideyou toward the perfect career for you. We'll provide guidelinesfor you to consider and questions that you need to ask.The career of your dreams could be right around the corner,and it's time you went after it!

SHOULD YOU MAKE A CAREER-CHANGE?

Many people don't like their jobs—it is part of being in theworking world. Even people who claim to love their jobs stillhave days when the thought of going to work can be just toomuch to bear. However, the truth is that you just may be on thewrong career path if your level of job satisfaction is less thanwhat it should be.The best way to really see and accept that it might be time fora career change is to honestly look at how you feel about what you do. This is really a very easy process. All you need to do iskeep a daily work journal.First, record how you feel about going into the office orworkplace every day. Be honest with yourself and write your truefeelings. Are you dreading walking through the doors, and doesthe thought of it make you nauseous? Maybe you're lookingforward to it, but once you get there, you find that you are boredand unable to concentrate.When a specific job situation comes up, write down yourreactions to completing that task. Your boss has given you theassignment of researching past profit margins for one of theproducts your company. He wants a comprehensive report on hisdesk within two days. Are you angry and dreading the job, ordoes it make you happy to be trusted with an important job?Write it down.In your work journal , jot down your feelings about yourcoworkers. Do you generally get along with everyone, or do youfind yourself constantly at odds with people or a specific person?The key to keeping a work journal is to write down exactlyhow you feel about various aspects of your job and then look forrecurring themes. Are you unhappy because of the people you arearound or because of what you are doing? Perhaps you justdisagree with specific company policies. After you haveidentified why you are unhappy with your job, you can start totake steps to look for something else.Are you still not sure if you should make a career change?OK, then it's time for a little quiz. Ask yourself the following questions and answer true or false:

i.There are few opportunities for growth within yourcompany.

ii.You find the work boring.

iii.Few jobs exist in your field.

iv.You want to earn more money than you ever will in yourcurrent field.

v.You will need to upgrade your skills to stay employed inyour current field, but you aren't satisfied enough to evenmake the effort.

vi.You want to do something more with your life.

vii.You want to pursue a lifelong passion.

viii.There's a new career you want to pursue. After doingyour research, it seems to be a good fit for you.

ix.You want to work in a field that will utilize your talents,skills, and education, and your current occupation doesn'tdo this.

x.Your life has changed since you first got into this career,and now the requirements of your job don't mix well withyour current situation (extensive travel when you nowhave children at home).

xi.Your occupation is too stressful.

xii.Look at your answers to the above questions. Do youhave more "True" answers? If so, a career change isprobably in order. But let's look at why according to youranswer to each question.

1. If you want the opportunity to grow your career, it'simportant to be in a company that will allow you to dothat. Perhaps you want greater responsibilities or aposition higher up on the corporate ladder—things youwon't have if you stick with your current occupation.

2. People can get bored with their work. Before you changecareers, you may want to make sure it's your occupationin general that is boring you and not just your current job.If it is your occupation, you should consider a careerchange.

3. When there are few jobs available in your field, a careerchange truly might be in order. Since opportunities arelimited, you may want to start exploring otheroccupations that have a better outlook.

4. A lot of people want to earn more money. Keep in mindhappiness does not come with higher earnings . However,if your career is unfulfilling for other reasons, you mightwant to change careers.

5. Upgrading your skills in order to stay in your currentoccupation will take some effort. If you aren't satisfiedwith your career anyway, you may want to start exploringother options rather than stress about what you need to dobut don't have the desire or motivation to follow through.

6. In general, if you find your career unfulfilling, that's thenumber one reason to find a new career. Being happywith your job can contribute greatly to personalfulfillment, which is something we all need, so definitelymake a career change if you say "True" to this question.

7. If you want to pursue your lifelong passion, by all means,go for it, or at least consider it as an option. Make sureyou do your homework first, though, to ascertain thiscareer is the right choice.

8. As long as you've researched a possible new careerchoice, there's really no reason you shouldn't go for it if itseems like something that will make you happy. In fact,this is a no-brainer: of course, you should change yourcareer here!

9. There's a reason why you got an education in the firstplace: you wanted to do a specific type of work. Maybeyou just have a unique flair to perform certain tasks, butyour current job doesn't use that talent. Why would youstick around?

If your life has changed significantly since you first began yourcareer and it is causing your personal life to be at odds with yourbusiness life, you'll have to make a choice. Unless you want todo nothing but work, you really should choose personalhappiness.There's enough stress in life without your work contributingto it. Before you decide to change careers, you should figure outwhether it's your occupation that's stressful or just your particular place of employment. If it is your occupation, changecareers.Of course, making a job change is never easy. Having aregular paycheck and job security is important—there's no doubtabout that. But if you're unhappy and unfulfilled in your job, areyou doing yourself a favor by staying there? We spend a lot ofour time working, so it really is important that we do somethingmeaningful with that time, something that will enhance our liferather than inhibit it.Before you make the leap to change your career path, youwill want to avoid some common mistakes. By knowing whatthose mistakes are, you'll know what not to do when undertakingsuch a life-changing event such as exploring a new career.