Not all of us know exactly what we want to to do as a career when we are at the age of making those vital decisions. The ones where you need to choose degrees or qualifications you want to study for. Some do, some know exactly what they want to do, whereas others struggle a little. This then causes you to get any job, just so that you can pay the bills and live your life, it isn’t supposed to be forever, but it can end up being your life long career.

The story is familiar to so many. People are not happy in their jobs, and while it isn’t something you can be perfectly okay with 100% of the time, as you do spend many hours doing something it would be ideal if it gave you back what you put into it in terms of financial gain and job satisfaction. It is never too late to change direction, ditch the 9-5 job you really despise and try something new. I wanted to share with you some of the ways you could do that.

Think about the job you might like to do

One of the first things to do would be to consider what you might like to do as a career moving forward. If you have this sudden urge to change and do something differently, whether motivated by how you feel, income potential or just needing that change, then you need to spend the time deciding what best avenue to take. Talking to people who do different jobs, reaching out online on social media platforms like LinkedIn and generally just taking more notice of what is around you could be a good place to start.

Give your resume a once over

Knowing what you want to do is actually the easy part, getting there might be a little harder. But one of the tools you have to utilize is your resume. When was the last time it was updated? Spend some time adding any previous job experience that wasn’t on there.

Add some descriptions and skills, and also consider tailoring the resume to the type of job you want. So that your skills match up to some of the requirements of the career that you want.

Retrain and learn new skills

Let’s face it, when it comes to wanting to change your career, the chances are it is going to be very different from the job and career you have right now, it will be one of the reasons you want to change in the first place, after all. So why not consider taking some time out to learn and retrain?

It might be that you can learn a new degree from home, doing it at your own pace in the comfort of familiar surroundings. It could be that you can attend a college class once a week in the evening, or do a fast track course where taking some time away from your current job could help speed the process up for your new one. This could also give you a little taster of what is to come, to ensure that this move is actually going to be the right one for you.

Consider working for yourself with a franchise

Maybe it isn’t about being employed by someone else, and going from one day job to another. It might have more to do with the flexibility and passion you have for something that entices you to consider starting up on your own.

Your own business to control may sound overwhelming, which is why so many people consider starting off their business as running a franchise instead. A quick look online will highlight the best franchise opportunities in the country for you to consider.

A great thing about a franchise is that you still get some support. You have certain guidelines to follow, marketing products and procedures t adhere to, which means that you do get the benefit of your own business, but with a proven business model that has worked before.

Have you had a business idea that needs pursuing?

If your own business is the thing you want to pursue the most then perhaps you already know exactly what you want to do. Maybe you have had an idea planted in your mind for some time now and you want to build it up and make it into a success.

Ideas like that can consume you until you get the guts to make it something and turn it into a success. It isn’t easy to start your own business, but it can certainly give you some of the best rewards. It starts with having the investment to make it a possibility, a business plan that has been worked on, and some ambition and effort to get it off the ground.

Start a blog or other digital based career?

Maybe you like the idea of working for yourself, and who wouldn’t want that? Choosing hours that suit your family and lifestyle, picking the projects and jobs you want to be part of, it can certainly be a real game changer and a digital career could provide you with that luxury.

More people are turning hobbies into full time jobs, that might mean a blog you already have being focused on to make it a success, putting skills of social media to good use and managing other businesses platforms to grow their audiences, and even creating videos on YouTube sharing your tips and thoughts along with your family life as a sort of reality tv insight. People are doing this now and making huge successes of themselves, could it be for you?

Work freelance doing what you are doing

Finally, could working freelance be the way forward? Maybe you have picked up skills i your current career that will now allow you to cut out the middleman and work for yourself. It could be digitally based, working from home assisting people with administration or even just going solo with your own pricing structure. Helping you to potentially earn more in the process.

I hope that this has given you some food for thought in terms of changing your career.