Changing Careers? Your Beginner’s Guide to Switching Jobs
- Author: Elisabeth Oll
- Date:
It can be an emotional roller coaster to think about the possibility of a career change. Excitement, doubt, curiosity, even fear – that’s a lot to feel all at once, and it’s perfectly normal.
It is a frightening idea for many to start over. But a switching jobs doesn’t always need to be such a dramatic leap into the darkness. With a thoughtful mindset, careful preparation and support, it can be one of the best decisions of your life.
This guide serves as a friendly, calm introduction on how to change careers. We will focus on the skills, mindsets, and strategies that research suggests can make it go more smoothly.
Why Career Adaptability Matters in a Career Change
At the heart of any successful career transition is adaptability. This means the ability to adjust and grow in a new direction.
Studies show that adults who embrace adaptability, while actively seeking out new knowledge and skills, are more likely to navigate a career transition with confidence (Rudolph & Zacher, 2021). This doesn’t mean you need to become an expert overnight. It simply means being open to learning s
Handling Career Shocks During Transitions
Sometimes, career shifts aren’t planned. A sudden redundancy, an industry shift or even a global crisis can push us into transition before we feel ready. Researchers call these moments career shocks (Törn-Laapio et al., 2024).
You can’t always prevent shocks, but you can build resilience to handle them. This might mean staying open to retraining or developing a mindset that sees unexpected changes as a chance to reorient rather than a dead end. Resilience does not mean being unaffected by these shocks. Resilience will help you keep moving forward. Being curious, willing to try new things, and staying open to learning can significantly improve satisfaction in your new path (Peeters et al., 2022). This is some of the most practical career advice for job switchers.
Take Ownership: Career Advice That Works
Society of work nowadays asks us to be more self-directed than ever. We shouldn’t rely on a single employer or a linear path. Many people have now taken to a protean career model – one that’s guided by personal values, adaptability and lifelong learning (Park & Cho, 2021).
In practice, this means taking ownership of your career development. Reflect on what matters most to you now. Are you looking for stability? Creativity? Flexibility? Let those values guide you in the choices you make.
Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Guidance When Changing Careers
Changing careers can feel overwhelming and you don’t have to do it alone. Research shows that a supportive relationship with a career counselor can significantly improve decision-making and confidence during transitions (Milot-Lapointe et al., 2020; Milot-Lapointe & Corff, 2024).
Career counseling doesn’t hand you ready-made answers. Instead, it gives you space to explore options and create a plan that feels realistic to you personally. Sometimes, the most helpful step is simply having someone next to you during a job transition.
Grow Your Network to Discover New Opportunities
Behind many successful career moves is a strong professional network. Connections with like-minded individuals and colleagues often open doors that job ads alone cannot.
For that, you don’t have to constantly attend big events. It can be as simple as reaching out to someone in a field you’re curious about, joining an online community or sending a message on LinkedIn. Research shows that relationships and trust play a major role in shaping career opportunities (Mussagulova et al., 2023).
Identify and Fill Skill Gaps When Switching Jobs
Every career transition involves some kind of learning curve. The key is to identify your skill gaps early and take small steps to close them. Studies do highlight that continuous learning and training are critical for navigating a changing job market (Akkermans et al., 2018). This might mean volunteering to build experience, doing more personal projects, or using online learning platforms like Levoro Academy (link to About page).
It’s good to remember that many of the skills you’ve built in past roles are transferable skills. Transferable skills are the abilities you’ve developed in one context that can be applied in another. Like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership etc.
And people who actively showcase their transferable skills during a career transition have shown to improve their chances of success (Masdonati et al., 2022). Knowing this, think about how your existing strengths can support your new career idea. If you need help wording your transferable skills, you can take a look at our course Answer Ready: The Path Through Any Job Interview. There you will find practical tips to help you in this process.
Be Patient With Yourself: How to Change Careers Mindfully
Changing careers is rarely an overnight success. It often involves a period of adjustment. Do not fear this, as it is normal. Setting realistic expectations, both short-term and long-term, can help you stay grounded.
Again, adaptability is what plays a big role in managing these expectations, especially in understanding that meaningful change takes time (Liu et al., 2023). Progress might feel slow, but steady steps can take you where you need to go.
A career shift is not only a physical change of everything, it’s also an emotional one. These feelings of fear and uncertainty about leaving a familiar path are common. It is important that you understand and address these psychological blocks, especially during involuntary career changes (Masdonati et al., 2022). Allowing yourself to feel all the emotions that come with it makes the journey healthier and more sustainable.
Conclusion: Career Change Is Moving Forward, Not Starting Over
A career change can feel like one of the biggest shifts you’ll ever make. But it doesn’t have to be rushed, and it definitely doesn’t have to be perfect. We don’t want to feel like this whole process is only about starting over. That feels much too overwhelming. With adaptability, reflection, and the right support, it can feel like moving forward in a new way.
Of course, there will be moments of doubt and moments of discovery. Both are part of the journey. What matters the most is to keep taking steady steps. Learn where you can. Ask for support when you need it. And remember, your past experiences still have value in what comes next.
You don’t need to transform everything at once. You just need to move closer to a path that feels right for where you are now.
References
Akkermans, J., Seibert, S. E., & Mol, S. T. (2018). Tales of the unexpected: integrating career shocks in the contemporary careers literature. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 44. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v44i0.1503
Liu, X., Ji, X., Zhang, Y., & Gao, W. (2023). Professional identity and career adaptability among chinese engineering students: the mediating role of learning engagement. Behavioral Sciences, 13(6), 480. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13060480
Masdonati, J., Frésard, C. É., & Parmentier, M. (2022). Involuntary career changes: a lonesome social experience. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.899051
Milot‐Lapointe, F., Corff, Y. L., & Arifoulline, N. (2020). A meta-analytic investigation of the association between working alliance and outcomes of individual career counseling. Journal of Career Assessment, 29(3), 486-501. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072720985037
Milot‐Lapointe, F. and Corff, Y. L. (2024). Predicting outcomes of a manualized individual career counseling intervention over a one-year follow-up from trajectories of change in career decision difficulties. Journal of Career Assessment, 32(4), 745-759. https://doi.org/10.1177/10690727241232438
Mussagulova, A., Chng, S., Goh, Z. A. G., Tang, C. J., & Jayasekara, D. N. (2023). When is a career transition successful? a systematic literature review and outlook (1980–2022). Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141202
Park, S. and Cho, Y. (2021). Relationship between career success perception and protean career management behavior in clinical dental hygienists. Journal of Dental Hygiene Science, 21(1), 28-37. https://doi.org/10.17135/jdhs.2021.21.1.28
Peeters, E., Caniëls, M. C., & Verbruggen, M. (2022). Dust yourself off and try again: the positive process of career changes or shocks and career resilience. Career Development International, 27(3), 372-390. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-06-2021-0143
Rudolph, C. W. and Zacher, H. (2021). Adapting to involuntary, radical, and socially undesirable career changes. Current Psychology, 42(6), 5015-5026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01859-5
Törn-Laapio, A., Ekonen, M., & Heilmann, P. (2024). Tourism and hospitality industry employees’ experiences of career shocks and career resilience. International Conference on Tourism Research, 7(1), 419-425. https://doi.org/10.34190/ictr.7.1.2197