Working for a living is something the majority of us have to do. We tend to decide on a career when we’re young, and if we’re lucky, we find happiness and satisfaction in this one field. However, most people have to chop and change, and sometimes think they may have made a mistake. But that’s no bad thing, even if it completely changes your life!
Indeed, if you’re not happy with your career, and you don’t see yourself becoming so, it’s best to call it quits and find something else to do. It’s a hard truth to face, but it’s an important one! And in doing so, you can take charge over your career, and ensure it never controls you again. So with that in mind, here are some of the best ways to stay in control when career troubles rock the boat.
Your career is whatever you make it, so don’t let it willingly stagnate!
Have a Concrete Plan
If you want to take control over your career, you’ll need to think about what you want to do instead. No half thoughts or potential ideas here – get something concrete down on paper. You need to have a direct action plan to follow, or there’s a very strong chance you’ll just get lost along the way.
Making a career change is difficult, simply due to the amount of possibilities out there. You could retrain to do something completely different, yes, but you could also move just a little to the left of where you are and do that instead. For example, if you’re skilled with coding languages, you could try game design, rather than just focusing on software applications.
But that’s up to you. Whatever you want to do next, write down some steps about how you’ll make such a change possible. What can you do to get things moving? And what should you never forget about on your journey?
Make as Many Connections as Possible
If you want to leave your job and find something else to do, you’re going to need some friends in the right places. Sure, you can try to go it alone, but things will take twice as long at the very least! If you know the right people ahead of time, and you’ve endeared yourself to them, you can speed up the process and waste little time.
But what connections should you make? Start by asking around within your current workforce. Who’s the who of the industry you’re in, and how did they meet new and exciting contacts. Keep it casual and friendly, but then find out more about these people outside of working hours. Attend the same conferences, and even just ask for a connection on LinkedIn.
Think About Working From Home
Working from home is a very good way to maintain control over your career. After all, the more you can move your professional life into an office in your own home, the more flexible your entire life becomes. If you’ve got a spare room to work in, this whole idea just becomes even better!
So maybe it’s time to think about working remotely? There are thousands of jobs out there to choose from, such as Remote Data Entry Jobs or trying your hand at freelance writing. All you need at the moment are your current skills, an internet connection, and a PC or laptop to work with. What could be simpler?
Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate
If you’ve got skills, use them as leverage – it’s not as hard an idea as it sounds! You know you’ve got a lot of experience to your name, and you’ve found success in the past. Any company in the field you’ve chosen would be crazy to pass that up! Rely on this, and use it to fuel your interview confidence.
If you’re willing to negotiate in this manner, you can then leverage your entire resume for your new career. In doing so, you can negotiate for better hours, more money, and maybe even a promotion or two. Technical skills are becoming more and more in demand as we move further into the digital age, and that could be very good news for your career plans!
Taking charge over your career is totally possible. Now you’ve seen the light, and want to make a change for yourself, move carefully and with plenty of advice. Talk to mentors, work from home with your own business, and always speak up when you need to.
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