9 questions to ask yourself before choosing or switching careers
Reviewed by Jessica Roper, MBA,director of Career Services at ۴ý
At a glance
- Before choosing a career, it’s important to consider your goals, strengths and values, the earning potential of each viable option and what kind of education a potential career requires.
- To change careers, consider your motivations, transferable skills, potential risks and whether it’s worth the investment.
- When making a career change, it can also be helpful to think through what you liked and didn’t like in your current job and find an opportunity that is an improvement.
- ұfree, downloadable career guides and templatesfrom ۴ý!
Finding a career that is right for you
Your career choice can impact your entire life — your happiness, income, health and career prospects. So, if you don’t have a calling, or your calling doesn’t align with a careerthat can support you, how do you choose the right one?How important is passion?Skills? Earning potential? Location?
Here, we explore how to decide when a new career is right for you, whether you’re just starting out or contemplating acareer change.
4 questions for choosing a career
Hiring managers and career changers who’ve been through the grind have some insights to share when it comes to career planning. Alice Rush,career advisor at ۴ý, weighs in on five questions to ask yourself to make awell-informed decision about your career path.
1. What are your long-term goals?
While you may initiate a passion project on a whim, a career choice needs to be more carefully considered. For this, knowing your long-term goals is crucial. It helps ensure that you make a strategic decision that aligns with your desired future.
Think about what you want now and what you want to be doing 20 years from now. Ask yourself if career advancement is your long-term goal and whether you look forward toleadership roles such as a career inmanagement.
Iffinancial stability and securityare top priorities, roles ininformation technologyor finance could offer high earning potential and job security.
Likewise, if you want a fulfilling personal life while also pursuing a career, evaluate careers thatoffer flexibilityin work hours or location, such as freelance writing or entrepreneurship.
2. What kind of education or training do you need?
Many careers require specific knowledge, skills and qualifications. But even when a job doesn’t demand prescribed training, accruing relevant qualifications couldhelp you in your career journey. For example,earning an MBAmay better position you for opportunities in a business-related field.
By thinking about what education or training you need when choosing a career, plus researching what may not be required but could help anyway, you can better plan your career path.
3. What are your interests, strengths and skills?
Think about your natural abilities,where you exceland the skills you’ve acquired through youreducation and work experience.
If you’re good at problem-solving and have strong analytical skills, you may be interested indata analysis, finance or engineering. If you enjoy working in a supportive role and are passionate about helping people, acareer in healthcare, social work or education might be worth considering.
As you narrow down your options, think about how aligned your passion, skills and personal attributes are. It’s important to reflect on this because, while ourinterestsmight change every couple of years, ourvalues and personalitystay very much the same throughout our lives.
Rush recommends asking yourself questions like, “What energizes me about work? What skills elate me and make me feel energized?”
What you do well matters, but what excites you matters just as much.
4. What are your values?
Knowing your values allows you to find fulfilling work that aligns with your beliefs.
What satisfies you most? Is it money, recognition, status, knowledge, independence, creativity, impact, making a difference or helping others?
Rush advocates for the “It’s a way to know what you need in a career throughout your life to be satisfying,” she says. “Then, check outDo What You Are, a book by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, and read the chapter on your type.”
Aligning your career with your biggest source of motivation helps ensure you’ll still like what you’re doing 20 years down the road.
5 questions to ask yourself before switchingcareers
A career change can be a significant adjustment, both professionally and personally. Think about the following before you make a decision to change careers.
1. What are your motivations for switching careers?
Are you unfulfilled in your current job? Do you want to pursue a long-held passion? Understanding your motivations to change careers can help you stay committed as you navigate the challenges of transitioning to a new career.
Are you chasing money, recognition, status, knowledge, independence, creativity, impact, or making a difference? Whatever your motivations are, when you know what you hope to gain, you can prepare so that yournew career aligns with your personal and professional goals.
2. Is the financial investment justified?
Changing careers might require you topursue further education. For instance, if you want to switch from a career in marketing to nursing, you will need to obtain a nursing degree.
It can be challenging to justify the financial commitment of a career change, but if the expenditure provides a sufficient return on investment, it can help make a convincing case.
Check outtheto learn more about upskilling in a new industry.
3. Is there an opportunity in this new industry?
Consider theindustry’s potential growthbefore you commit to a switch. Not sure what that means? Well,is worth checking out before a career change as it offers accessible insights into which roles are projected to grow — and which are not — over the coming decade.
From there,connect with other professionalsin your desired industry, either on LinkedIn or through private networking groups. Read posts, ask questions and learn as much as you can about what kind of opportunity exists.
4. What transferable skills and experience do you have?
While changing careers can seem daunting, remember that yourwork experiencecounts for more than you think.
For instance,leadershipand project management skills are essential for a supervisory position. If you have sales andmarketingskills, they can help you build relationships. The ability to speak multiplelanguagescan be a valuable asset across industries, especially in global organizations.
5. Can you handle the potential risks?
Switching careers is both exciting and intimidating. It may mean accepting alower salaryor experiencing aperiod of unemployment during the transition. A new work environment, different work schedules and less time with family and friends (because of the steep learning curve) could all be things you’ll need to deal with.
Knowing that you’re in it for the long haul and have a plan to mitigate the risks can help make your career transition smoother.
Exploring careers with ۴ý
Choosing or changing careers can be a daunting but ultimately rewarding decision — so long as you lay the right foundation.
۴ý (UOPX)prepares students and graduatesfor the career paths they choose with the following:
- Individual classes: Explore more than 600 courses that can help you meet your educational goals, whether that’s finishing a degree or enhancing your skills in business, IT, healthcare or other fields.
- Professional development: Upskill with non-credit, self-paced, self-directed courses designed to bolster your skills in digital marketing, education, healthcare, human resources and IT.
- Career Services for Life®: Career advisors are available to offer guidance with resumé development, interviewing techniques and more.
- Job resources: Discover free downloadable templates for resumés and cover letters, plus guides on job prep and personal branding, on the UOPX website.
- newsletter: Get the latest insights and information on career trends from UOPX’sdedicated team of writers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kaleigh Moore is a full-time freelance writer and consultant specializing in business and software. Her work has appeared in Forbes, Vogue Business, Fast Company, Inc., Entrepreneur and elsewhere. She is also a frequent speaker at conferences and universities and co-hosts a podcast on running a freelance writing business.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Jessica Roper, ۴ý director of Career Services, is a seasoned leader with over 15 years of experience in leadership within higher education. She has honed her expertise in student services and career development and is passionate about helping others discover and refine their skills.
This article has been vetted by ۴ý's editorial advisory committee.
Read more about our editorial process.
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