Career change is always overwhelming. It typically happens when you are in the mid of your career and you would like to make a shift. But you don’t know what to do and where to start. If you find yourself stuck in thinking here’s an article which can help you take that little baby step.
Career Test for Successful Career Change

In this article, we will discuss 39 baby steps, steps that you can take right away and don’t feel overwhelmed about. Simply sit back, relax and take a plunge, yes, and just one baby step at a time. And guess what you will able to make a successful career change.

Be grateful: Before you begin the process of any career change, just relax and write down 3 things that you’ve because of your current career. First say thank you and then with that feeling get started.
Be clear about what career you want: You don’t need to worry about a successful career change now. Just think what career you would like to make transition to. Just think about 10 minutes and write 5 possible career changes you can make.
Sequence your career choices: You cannot have all 5 careers you have chosen for yourself. Write down according to your likings, marketability and growth potential. Start with something that has most marketability, potential and you like it too.
What are your core values? Your core values have a lot to do in what careers you would like. Before making any effort to do any career change, simply take a piece of paper and write about qualities you like in people. Make a list of 30. And then take some time to make it a mere 5. These 5 are your core values on which you make all your decisions.
Find out why? If you’re asked why you would like to make a change of career, you may give many answers. But truth is you want to make a career change because of only one major cause. Find that out.
Scan the current job: Do a scanning of your current job. Take some time. Sit for 30 minutes and write down everything you like or dislike about your current job. Being clear about
Do a SWOT: It’s the best investment into yourself for making a career change. Knowing yourself is the beginning of all success. Find out your strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities.
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Talk to someone in the same profession: Talk to a colleague or someone in the same profession. Share why you would like to make a career change. Get his/her input. Write it down.
Are you doing the right thing? The most important question is – Do you think that the decision to changing careers is right thing to do as per your current circumstances and scenarios? Write down your answers.
Find out some facts: You may find other professionals who are feeling the same. Find out about them. What are they doing? How they are making the shift?
Do a skill-set check: You may have some skills that you’re overlooking. Simply write down all the skills you have which are marketable. Even include the skill of being organized (it’s marketable)! It will take you just few minutes.
What skills do you need to earn your first buck? Go back to No. 3. Start with the first career choice. What skills do you think you need to have to earn your first money from the career? Do you have them? If not, go to the next one and do the check.
Check your savings: You need to have an emergency fund set aside to make a successful career change. What if you start with your new career and it doesn’t yield enough benefit to you. What then? Check your savings and set aside at least 1 year worth of living money for you and your family. Then take a plunge.
If you don’t have much savings, first plan for it: You can a take a plunge only then when you’ve at least 1 year of living cost set aside. If you don’t have, plan to save first before you make any career change. Plan for the entire year’s living cost plus some more and then think ahead.
Set a date: While saving for the future you may get in the trap to keep on going in your existing career. So, set a tentative date since when you will make a career change. The date is not for taking baby steps; the date is rather for the particular time when you get started in your new career.
Know about the market: You can’t take this baby step until you do No. 2. Now, you’ve already chosen 5 possible careers. Pick one and find out its market, its trends, what sort of jobs are available, whether your currents skills are matching with the desired ones or not etc. Then do the same with other 4. By doing this you will get a hang of the market and you can understand the reality of making a career change.
Meet people from the industry: If you’re done with the above step, you would know what would be your possible career choice now. Once you’re done with that, simply go to LinkedIn, find out people in the same industry and just have a look at their profile. If possible talk to them and meet them. Ask them questions if you’ve any.
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Don’t think full time in the beginning: The fatal mistake most mid-level professionals make while going for a career change is to go for full time. Don’t go for full time in the beginning. If you think you’re smart enough to start off right away, just go for few part time projects. See how things work, how much money you can make and how much growth you can have if you do it for your lifetime.
Tweak your resume: Just take 15 minutes out and update your resume. Discard excess words, add new skills and experiences.
Check your oral communication: To check, simply take a word and start speaking about it randomly. Are you able to speak well? If not, do the same thing more often. Every day 5 random topics will do the needful.
Examine your written communication: To make a career change, you may have to have excellent written communication along with verbal communication.
Have a plan for your personal development: Without developing yourself, really you can’t do much in your new career. So, have a plan to develop skills that you’re not good at. And hone the other ones that are marketable now.
Know your core competency: Ask yourself – “What one thing I have or I can offer that is not replicable and add tremendous value to whatever I do?” And once you find out add it to everything you do, even in your part time gig.
Talk to your family: If you make a career change, other than you, your family will get effected directly. So before making any change, talk to them about your plans and how you want to implement it.
Take a day off: Take a day off from whatever job you’re currently doing and spend some time on reflection. Ask questions, journal, read a book on career change and take nap. You can also set a primary structure for successful career change. Taking a day off will help you rejuvenate and you can get some time to begin the process of career change.
Drop some of your responsibilities: You may be a very busy person. But see whether you can drop or delegate some responsibilities here and there so that you can get some room for yourself.
Set a particular time of a particular day for yourself: You may not realize the value of this now. But if you want to think about your future and want to transit into a successful career change, you need to schedule 1-2 hour slot every week for yourself. For example, you can set 2 hours slot for yourself on every Tuesday in the afternoon every week.
Learn: There is no age to learn more. So learn anything that you can about your future career. There are a ton of resources available on the internet. Just be willing and learn.
Keep your day job: When you get too excited about career change, you may let go of your day job before you make a transition into your new career. Please keep your day job and then do whatever you’ve to do about a successful career change.
Set an income goal: If you start your new career part time and you want to make it full time, start with an income goal. How much is enough to let go of your day job and do your part time gig full time? Ask yourself and your family. Then set a goal and set a deadline.
Find about the lifestyle of professionals who are in the profession you want to be in: Everything that glitters is not gold. So, if you feel that you need to change your career because you want to change your lifestyle, think again. Whatever you seem to know from outside may not be the truth. Enquire, find out the reality and then take a concrete decision.
Check the growth curve: Growth is the only evidence of success. So, if you don’t grow as a professional, there’s no point in making career change. To know about this, check any veteran’s career graph. You will have an idea.
Get rid of false beliefs: Your dream career is not all play and no work. You need to put in a lot of hard work in the beginning. So if you have any false beliefs that make you think that it’s easier than your existing job, then maybe you’re not on right track.
Hire a professional coach: If you can afford, please hire a coach who can help you with your career goal and will make things easy for career change. There are lot of things you invest in, why not for a successful career change?