3 Biggest Mistakes We Make When Changing Careers

Changing careers is so common, it's become almost a rite of passage for modern professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, even highly skilled workers in specialized fields change jobs often enough that the median tenure of architects, for example, is only 6.4 years. Changing careers midstream can be exciting, and it often leads to more fulfilling work, but it has to be done right. Avoid these three common mistakes when you switch careers.

Making the Leap Without a Plan

Changing careers can be good for your soul, but it takes planning. If you're making a drastic career change, your income will almost certainly take a hit at first. Do you have enough saved to get by until you can command a decent salary again? Most career fields have their share of unrewarding jobs. If your dream is to work in radio as on-air talent, can you be happy putting in your dues as a program director or at another off-air job?

Adequate planning is the key to setting realistic career goals. Before you change careers, try talking to people who are already doing the job you want. Ask them how they got where they are, where the pitfalls are and what to expect from your new career.

Lack of Preparation

Preparation is distinct from planning. While planning entails research about a new career, preparation consists of actions taken to position yourself to succeed at it. If your new field requires professional training, get the education you need before leaving your old job. If it requires experience, try to break in with a part-time, or even an unpaid, position before fully committing. If you expect to make less money, trim your current budget so a lower income doesn't pinch too hard. Adequate preparation can be the difference between lifelong success in a new field, and drifting back to your old career after a few years.

Going It Alone

Starting a new profession usually puts you in an entry-level job, at least for a while. If you're doing it by yourself, you're unnecessarily reducing your chances of success. Almost every career track goes more smoothly with friends and allies than if you try to go it alone. Make contacts in your new industry before joining it. Attend trade shows and seminars to meet the people who make up the industry, collect their business cards and keep in touch with them. Having friends who have already succeeded in the career you want creates a network of strategic alliances that eases your way and vastly improves your chance of thriving in the field you've dreamed about working in for years.

Stepping away from the job you're comfortable in and making the leap into unknown territory is promising, scary and exciting all at once. By developing an idea of where you want to go, adjusting your life circumstances to match your new income and prospects, and making the friends who can open doors for you along the way, you can turn a wild gamble on an uncertain future into a viable career change for the better.

Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net