Big life changes are tough, but the reward of taking the leap into one can be great. If you’re longing to change your life by shifting into a career in business, you’re in luck. This is a big field with a lot of opportunities and plenty of room for growth. Consider the points below as you make the change.
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Your Current Job
Your current job may or may not inform how you approach this shift. You may want to draw on that experience. If you are a nurse, insurance companies often hire nurses as consultants to review claims. If you are a teacher, you might move into corporate training. Even if you will not be drawing as directly on your current job as in these examples, you could still look at soft skills you may have developed, such as management, communication or leadership skills, and emphasize those as you look for a new position in the business world.
Education
You might want to consider going back to school to get a degree in business or even an MBA. If you already have a bachelor’s degree, this might not be necessary, but if you do not have a four-year degree at minimum, you might be limited in how far you can advance. You may want to explore your eligibility for taking out student loans from private lenders to pay for your degree, particularly since these loans are not need-based and may offer a good interest rate if you have a strong credit score.
Network
Networking is a critical part of business success because you need to be able to build relationships. Successful networking can also mean that you never have to go through the traditional process of job hunting. If you talk to enough people about what you’re looking for, you’ll get access to that hidden market of jobs that are never really advertised. In fact, telling as many people as possible that you are looking for a career change is a great way to tap into a bigger network. You never know when your neighbor’s cousin’s friend might know someone you should meet.
Research and Reach Out
Even if you are pretty sure about the sector you want to go into, such as finance, most industries are large and diverse enough that it can be helpful to explore more deeply what different types of jobs might be like. This is a great way to use the internet to stay productive, as you can do most if not all of this from your laptop or smartphone. Following people in the sector that interests you online can teach you a great deal as can attending online workshops and conferences.
If you know someone in your sector of interest and are comfortable doing so, you can ask them whether it would be possible to shadow them at work for a day or a half day, or if that seems like too big of an ask, you could invite them for an informational interview over coffee or lunch. Most people are eager to share their opinions and expertise as long as they are not too busy and you are gracious and respectful of their time.
