It’s completely normal to want a career change as time goes by, in fact, most of the most successful people you hear about changed careers after the age of 30, some include Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, fashion tycoon Vera Wang and astronaut-turned-politician John Glenn.
Most times at age 30 you tend to discover that your career is not moving exactly how you thought it would be or you’re already dying to switch things up and try something new.
You might even start to see the career that once seemed so fulfilling even noble become an uphill task.
At 30 you might already be having thoughts of a career change especially when you graduated college early and started your career almost immediately, you might start to feel as if you’ve been doing the same thing for ages.
At 30 you must have learned things about yourselves you would have factored in when selecting a career, at this point you might start to doubt if the career was the right call with things you know about now.
This article will highlight everything you need to know about career change both at 30 and in any subsequent years.
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What is a Career Change?
A career change is simply defined as the process of taking on a career that differs from your previous work experience.
A career change could be due to the need to improve life, satisfaction, or salary increase.
It can also be involuntary and completely due to circumstances they saw an example when there is a relatively low available opportunity in your career field.
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Career Change at 30, Why?
There are many factors that can bring about thoughts of a career change.
Most times before you clock the big 30s thoughts of a change in career might already swim in your subconscious especially when you’ve been devoted to a particular industry for a long period and you discover that the fire that was driving you before toward the career seemed to have been thoroughly quenched.
At times you might grow weary of the same cycle especially if you work a 9-5 job and in the end, you’re still barely getting by financially, definitely not what you had in mind when deciding to pursue the career.
Thoughts of a career change might be planted into our minds also if we discover there is something else we’ll like to try.
Inspiration for this might come from learning a new skill you feel you’re superb at and could earn money doing, hobbies, or from seeing a family member or friend pursuing a career and doing exceptionally well in it, you might take a liking to it and decide to try it out.
In a survey conducted by Joblist’s midlife career crisis survey the top five reasons in descending order why people go for a career change are
- Better pay.
- High-Stress level.
- Trying to find a more convenient work-life balance.
- Trying to find a new challenge.
- Lack of passion.
How to Change Career at 30?
Most people at age 30 have a minimal amount of responsibility and this makes this period a perfect time to switch career paths before the responsibilities start to pile up.
The minimum amount of responsibility at age 30 helps because a career change tends to affect your relationship, health, finance, and whole life in general.
Making a change from an unfulfilling career to a fulfilling career brings out a positive side of yourself. This section will serve as a guide to making a promising career change.
- Assess your current career: Before making the choice of going for a career change you need to thoroughly assess your present career and try to find out what you presently like and hate about it. you should be able to know exactly what you want after asking yourself questions like
- What do you like about your present career?
- What part of the present career do you like and hate?
- The work atmosphere in your current career?
- What attracted you to the career initially?
- Why you’re not attracted to the career anymore?
2. Evaluate your Interest and Skills:
You should thoroughly go through your skills or any interests you’ve had before.
You should be able to gauge if your skills are really being put into your current career.
Identifying your skills, value, and preferred activity will enable you to figure out which direction to go if you have not made up your mind about a new career.
3. Research thoroughly the new Career:
In selecting a new career we should not get caught up in the moment and end up making a critical decision.
First thing is to avoid rushing, don’t act impulsively. If you have found a career that you feel is the best choice, you’ll have to research extensively on the career to avoid regret.
You can use job search engines online to get an accurate description of what is required for the career including education and skills, this will help you to know if your present education and skill are acceptable or if you’ll need additional training.
It is also advisable to go through a company that employs people in your new career field to see if your previous career experience will be valued. Most importantly perform a SWOT analysis of the career to find out all you need to know about the career.
4. Network and Shadow Professionals in the Field:
Rome they say wasn’t built in a day, you will need to reach out to professionals in the career field to help give you steps to being successful and how to fit into the field.
Never underestimate the power of networking!
Reaching out to professionals will not only be informational but can create opportunities and recommendations if they see potential in you.
Try to find opportunities to shadow professionals in the career path in order to be able to see the work firsthand and decide if it’s really what you want.
5. Acquire the required Skill and Training for the New Career:
In the scenario that you do not have all the required skills for a successful transition to the new career, you have to gain the needed qualification or skill hence paving way for the career change.
Research educational opportunities in the new field, you should be able to find online courses on the field or available seminars.
Skill-based volunteering is an option that enables you to learn new skills by making use of the ones you have presented in order to build your experience and resume.
6. Create your Resume and Apply:
You’re sure you are 100% invested in this career change? Then it’s time to create your resume and apply for opportunities.
Before crafting your resume, you should research properly to know the format of the resume that is most applicable to your new career. You can always ask any friend or professional in the career for advice or help.
You can easily create your new resume by using your old resume to assess the new changes you have taken in each position.
In your new resume, you’ll want to have only skills and training that are relevant to the new position or that will give you an edge in the selection process.
Always float the job description in your resume in order to suit the standards of the company. Be self-confident about your training, experience, and skill as this is key to a new and satisfying career.
Done with the resume, be optimistic, and apply for opportunities in your new industry. Don’t underestimate the power of networking.
Mostly you might learn of open positions from people you know and when they hear of open opportunities there is a huge possibility that they will pass your details to prospective employers.
Benefits of a Career Change at 30?
Are you caught up trying to decide whether to change your career or stick to your current career? Does your current career feel completely unsatisfying? below are some benefits of a career change
- Development of new skills.
- New relationships are created
- Brings a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment.
- Refueled passion.
- You become happier and less stressed.
- Excitement and challenge.
- Research has shown that people who switch careers usually make more money in the new industry.
Best Jobs for a Career Change at 30?
There are certain careers that can be transitioned to easily without requiring additional education, training, or acquiring a new skill.
Some industries might even be so appealing to offer in-work training, therefore, teaching you directly.
If you have decided to change your career and you still find out that you’re having a hard time deciding which industry you’ll fit into perfectly, this section highlights the best career change jobs that you can opt for at 30 whether you’re considering a second career or a completely new career path.
1. Veterinary Technician or Technologist:
A veterinary technician is a very nice choice for a second career if you love animals.
A Veterinary technician’s job is to assist the veterinarian in diagnosing and treating animals in private clinics, animal hospitals, and research facilities.
As a veterinary technician, your job is to test the blood and urine of the animal and administer vaccines and medications to the animals under a veterinarian’s supervision.
A good veterinary technician should be capable of administering anesthesia and prepping animals for surgery. Their general role is to help the vets in treating and caring for animals.
If you love animals this is an easy way to earn well while doing something you like. Becoming a veterinary technician will require specific training to acquire a license. A veterinary Technician or technologist has a median annual salary of $33,400 ($16.06 per hour)
2. Personal Trainer:
With almost everyone trying to be physically fit and healthy a career path as a personal trainer can be a good choice if you are physically fit and you like helping people reach their fitness goals, you can opt to be a personal trainer for a career change.
A personal trainer helps people achieve their fitness goals relating to weight loss, toning strength, training exercise, and overall health using exercise regimens and doing all this in a way that makes the client not give up or get worn out.
A good personal trainer has a good routine that keeps the client in their best fitness state as well as motivates them to keep it up and stay healthy.
Presently there are many available ways to become a personal trainer. Some online programs and courses run good training with certificates. The median annual salary of a personal trainer is $40,510.
3. Sales Representative:
Are you good at convincing people to opt for specific goods or services even when they might not necessarily need them?
If you are, a career as a sales representative might just be the career change that you need.
A sales representative is a person whose job is to market products to various organizations, governments, or business enterprises on behalf of manufacturers or wholesalers.
Also, a sales representative can be an independent person owning his private sales agency with his list of clients being those manufacturers and wholesalers.
A sales rep could also work directly with the company or wholesaler manufacturing or offering the goods or services respectively. The median annual salary of a sales representative is $79,680.
4. Patient Care Technician:
A patient care technician can be found in any branch of activity that involves health care including a wonderful experience, assisted living community, mental hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities.
A patient care technician is tasked with supporting all medical staff including doctors and nurses in caring for patients with physical or mental health concerns.
The overall role of the patient care technician is to improve the comfort of the patient in order to ensure a good experience. Patient Care technicians work hand to hand with nurses.
According to the US department labor bureau of labor statistics, the annual median salary of a patient care technician is $34,591($17 per hour)
5. Web Developer
With technology playing a huge role in our daily lives and every aspect of life trying to go digital both to promote businesses or themselves, web developers are currently always needed.
If you are savvy with a computer or seriously interested in programming, you could consider a career change as a web developer. A web developer uses a programming language to create websites for various individuals, government agencies, or business organizations.
The role of a web developer is to work on the performance, appearance, and functionality of a website. A web developer can be a freelancer or could work directly with a specific company.
There are various online web development programs and courses. A web developer has an annual average salary of $75,945.
6. Project Manager:
Project managers are good at developing plans and strategies that Favor their products and service.
The task of a project manager with researching, creating, organizing, and directing plans for the development of specific products and services. A project manager ensures that the project being handled is running on schedule, within budget, and performing correctly.
There are various opportunities open to a project manager in the construction, manufacturing, and software development sectors. The main role of a project manager is to keep costs as low as possible but with the project achieving the required results.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary of a project manager is $73,570.
7. Massage Therapist:
A massage therapist is a person whose job is to assess and treat the soft tissues, muscles, and joints of the body using pressure and touch, in order to enhance blood circulation, alleviate pain, reduce stress, rehabilitate an injury, and increase relaxation and general well-being of the client.
The client list of massage therapists extends from young to old. The average annual salary of a massage therapist is $42,000.
8. Market Researcher:
Market research is a good choice for a career change. A market researcher investigates the demands of the market to determine the potential a product or service will have.
A market researcher will use previous sale trends and patterns to predict the direction the market is likely to go. There are various techniques employed by the market researcher to get data to correctly predict the future of the market including polls and surveys.
A market researcher offers efficient political, social, and economic advice to his clients.
Opportunities are open to market researchers either being employed in a marketing agency or working directly with the production company. The annual average salary of a market researcher is $56,527.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it’s very possible to change your career in your 30s
If the only problem is your present work environment and you still like your career, you could just quit and get a job at a new company not necessarily change your career path.
This depends completely on your new career. If you don’t have the required training, gaining additional information is easier nowadays than it has ever been.
You can gain experience quickly by freelancing, volunteering, and shadowing people in your new career.
Yes, some companies can offer on-the-job training but it varies and depends completely on the company or employer.
Conclusion
Going for a career change is not an easy decision but when you discover that you have lost the passion for the career and feel consistently unsatisfied, unhappy, and generally uninterested in the job this could be an early sign that it’s time for a change.
After switching to a new industry, you might not start your career immediately. It’s necessary for you to be optimistic and confident both in your skills and yourself as these are key to thriving in something new. Persevere and don’t give up!
References
- indeed.com – career-development/how-to-change-careers-at-30
- thebalancecareers.com – successful-career-change
- marieclaire.co.uk – career-change-at-30-4150
- comptia.org – change/plan/how-to/30-40-50
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