4 Steps to Making Your Career Change Just Like Going on Vacation

By Cherry Douglas

Did you realise that changing career can be just like going on holiday? And you don't get hung up about that, do you?!

So what do I mean? How is taking a vacation connected with something as big as a career change?

Well, much of the thinking and planning that goes into a holiday, is similar to the process you need to go through when you are making a change of career direction. Read on to see what I mean.

What is your holiday (career) destination? When spending a big chunk of your hard earned cash on a two week vacation, you take your time to think carefully about where you will go. You start by considering what you like to do, what kind of activities you enjoy, what you are interested in.
Then you use this knowledge to identify suitable places where you will find things to do that match your interests. If you enjoy lying on a beach, you won't be going to a cultural capital where the main offer is museums and theatre.

The key points here are knowing yourself and researching what your destination has to offer. A successful career change will start with this too.

How will you get there? If your holiday destination is a long way off, you accept that the journey will take some time. You know there will be several stages - taxi, train, plane, hire car and so on. You also know that if you are driving, you will need a good map so that you don't get lost. It is all down to careful planning again.

You need to do the homework and ask the advice of travellers who have been that way before. Then you stand a better chance of getting directly to your destination, even if the journey takes some time.

It's the same with career change. You might decide to retrain to become, say, an IT programmer or developer. Once you are sure this matches your interests, you explore which courses you need to take to gain new skills and ask people which ones they recommend. You plan a timetable for the training according to when courses are available with an aim of being qualified by a certain date.

Can you afford it? You save up for a holiday, so why not save up for a career change? You think nothing of putting money aside so you can enjoy your two weeks in the Caribbean, so it makes sense to apply the same mindset to a career change which will have a much bigger impact on your life in the long run.

If it is a big adventure holiday on the other side of the world you have in mind, you just take longer to save up.

Yes, there are financial implications to making a career change, but don't let them freeze you into inactivity. Sit down and work out the sums, consider where you can cut corners and do without little luxuries - and start saving!

Who will be your companions? Vacations aren't so much fun on your own, so most times you will take someone else along. Someone you trust, someone whose company you enjoy, someone who will share the adventure with you. They can help you with the planning and research into what you will do when you get there.

Bits of the journey may be boring or stressful, so it is great to have a friend to chat to. Once you get there, you need someone to share your excitement and enthusiasm about your destination.

Don't attempt a career change journey on your own either. You need a companion who can be a supporter and encourager along the way. They may be travelling a parallel path of their own, or they may just pick you up when you are weary and think the journey is too long. Whatever the case, they can help keep your spirits up so that you do indeed reach your destination.

So are you already thinking about your vacation for 2009? You quite possibly are. You don't hesitate with that bit of life planning, do you? So why not think a bit bigger? Why not use the same strategies to get your career change off the starting blocks instead?

And if you need a little more encouragement to help you take action , then I invite you to take your first step by downloading my free ebook, 11 3/4 Ways To Kick Start Your Career Change at http://www.how-to-change-careers.com/kick-start-your-career-change.html