How to Change Your Career at 30
Are You 30 and Thinking about Changing Your Career?
Age should never limit anybody from doing what they love most in the career world. At times, people want to change their careers, but they feel that age 30 and above is too late. That has never been the case for the successful Jonathan Osler. He has been a communication strategist, a consultant, a fundraiser strategist, and an anti-racism instructor in his career. Has age confined him to one career path? No, it has not.
Think of it this way, an employee’s legal retirement age is 65. At 30, they have 35 more years to work before retirement. Even if they decide to change their careers, they have enough years to learn the skills and work. Anybody at 30 is still considered young. Most people do not have as many responsibilities at 30 as in the early and late 40s. So why not go for a career change?
A guide to Changing Careers at 30
1. Be sure on the next move
A career change is not anything that is thought and achieved overnight. People often want to change careers, but they do not understand why they want to do it or when to change. At 30, most employees have had several years in their career. Some are in their careers after making uninformed decisions when in college or due to peer pleasure. When an employee decides to change their career, they should be sure of what they want to do next and where to begin.
2. Manage expectations
Rome was not built in a day. It will therefore take months or years before an employee fully adapts to their new career. A person who changes their career should give themselves time to transition to the new career.
3. Be ready to learn
If the new career is completely different from the previous one, it might be challenging. The challenges can only be overcome through learning. A good example is Jonathan Osler. If he only relied on his Bachelor of Arts, he wouldn’t acquire today’s skillset. His willingness to learn, consult from experts, and volunteer work helped him gain the professional muscle he has today.
4. Consult a career coach
Not everything in career change is easy. For a person to prosper in their career change, a career coach can come in handy. When things are challenging, a career coach helps one to build on their confidence and self-esteem. They help a person create realistic goals and help them on the journey to achieving them.
5. Showcase your skills
As we all know, employers focus on the curriculum vitae and especially the experience part. It might not be easy for a person who has changed their career to a completely different path. That is because employers think that they do not have experience in that particular field. To overcome this, it is important that the person looking for work after they have changed their career focus on showcasing their skills and ability to produce the best. A skill-based CV will be the roadmap to success in the new career.