Why Did You Need to Change Careers and How Did You Do it?

Are you thinking about making a career change? Do you dread going to work? Are you dreaming of escaping and doing something different for a change?

Then you're not alone.

I left a promising, huge accounting firm to pursue my dream of helping people feel better physically and mentally. At that time, I knew counselling was the most valuable element I have to offer (it still is), which prompted the career change.

It's been over 2 years, 200 ups and downs, but 2 thousand occurrences of "I'm so happy to be doing this." Seeing how I can significantly improve people's lives is the most rewarding part of this career switch.

The average person changes careers at least once in their lifetime. Do not let anything stop you from making a career switch if that's what you wanted.

The most common reasons as to why people are making a career change:

1. Seeking better pay and benefits

2. Accommodating spouses' career change

3. Relocating

4. Career enhancement

5. Lay off

6. Company reorganization

7. Lack of fulfilment

8. Escaping a lousy boss

9. Poor company culture

And the list goes on.

These reasons were why career changes happened for me across 25 years of my working life. And after all these years of figuring things out, I realized one thing: If you are happier when you switch, then, by all means, pursue it.

As long as you're willing to take action on your plan and push through all the obstacles ahead of you, nothing wrong can happen. One more thing, don't ever feel guilty about a change in your career path.

Making a career change is not going to be easy. But do know that, today, possibilities are endless. No matter what are the reasons for change, the right career is out there for you.

I've changed careers twice in my life so far. The one that left me the most profound impression was my first job switch. I made a jump from HR to publishing.

After I graduated, the recession hit, and there were no jobs for graduates. So, I was forced to take up an admin job and worked my way up the company. I did carve out a successful career path in HR, but I realized it wasn't what I initially wanted. My end goal was to work for a publisher.

I then started side hustling as a freelance editor during the weekends. In a short while, I applied for an editor position at a local book publisher and got it. Three years later, it has gone so well that I've set up my own company to offer more services to the authors.

My advice? Treating every career change as a growth opportunity while you forge on. They will give you vital skills and experiences to ultimately lead you to where you want to be.

I am currently thinking of changing my career. I've been working as an accountant for eight solid years, and I've wanted to venture into the education field. Comparing the mundane tasks that every accountant has to go through to teachers with unpredictable variables, I seem to prefer the latter.

Besides, the long days at work are starting to pile up on me. I can't keep up with the stress either. As someone who is a planner, career changes feel like a disturbing thing to do. Without a solid plan of what lies ahead, it hindered me from taking immediate action.

I've spoken to my family about this, and I'm glad all of them were supportive of my decision. I know this will be a big change, and it's definitely not an easy decision to make. Thanks to their support, it gave me the push that I really needed.

After one year of confusion, I left the corporate world to start my own digital marketing agency. The reason I left was that I didn't feel like I was challenging myself at work. The fact that I wasn't guided much by my Vice President was the final straw.

I quit and began freelancing for some time to get hands-on experience in digital marketing. Fast forward to today, I enjoy the challenges of being an entrepreneur. It is truly a rewarding experience for someone who has an aggressive personality as I do. I've made many mistakes and learned some valuable lessons that helped me run a successful online marketing business.

One of the best decisions I've made was to take the leap of faith and changed my career path!

Everyone has their own reasons for making a career switch.

As soon as I realized that I no longer enjoy the things I was doing, I knew something must be done. I found out through professional assessments that I needed to stay engaged every day.

Formerly being in sales, there was little room for creativity. I had plenty of successes in closing sales, but I slowly lost passion for the position. I then made a change in my career.

My current job is one that widened my horizons, and I've never felt more alive and energetic before. If you were to ask me, I believe you should never feel trapped in your career.

So, choose wisely, my friends. And all the best.

I've changed careers five times over the past twelve years. Some of the reasons I left were as stated in the article.

Over the years, I've worked as (in order):

1. A marketing executive for a bicycle manufacturer

2. Project manager at Geotech Solutions company

3. Sales manager for a high-end boutique store

4. Operations manager for a food service company

5. Senior revenue manager in a global marketing agency

I enjoyed every single job that I set foot into. Every time I start a new job, I am forced to learn new skills, systems, routines. All of these helped me develop valuable professional skills. I've come a long way, and today, I work as a General Manager in a fitness club.

If you are looking to open new doors in your career, a transition is a step you'll have to go through. If I can do it, so can you.

I was laid off due to the pandemic. The economy had turned south, and the construction businesses suffered greatly. I was in the concrete delivery business for the past ten years.

As a result of this event, I had to do some soul searching while deciding what to do next. I didn't feel that I could pursue another construction-related career. On top of that, I didn't have other marketable skills outside of what I usually do. I knew that if I didn't come up with a quick solution, I would be facing a crisis like everybody else.

Eventually, I got back into studying. I didn't have years as the college graduates do, so I had to get things sorted out quickly. I picked programming as it was a subject that I was interested in learning. It took me 6 months to get my first job in the IT field. The transition was scary but exciting at the same time. Now 3 years into it, I still love what I'm doing.

If you are like me, I want you to know that you're going to be okay. Be persistent in your job hunt, and opportunities will come knocking at your door.

I switched jobs due to life-stage changes. My wife and I found out that we were having twins. It was a joyous occasion, but my initial profession's paycheque didn't allow me to stay for long.

So, I decided to become a contractor for a year until my wife could go back to work full time. I had to learn the skills that a contracting profession requires. I initially didn't like it, but at least we could pay our bills.

Through this experience of constant learning, I got myself very familiar with the contracting industry. As of now, I started my own company as an independent consultant. That's three career changes in five years!