What will make you happy?
Let’s face it: you’re going to spend a large percentage of your life at work. So being inspired, interested and enjoying your job isn’t a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a necessity if you want to live a happy and fulfilled life.
Instead of thinking about your career in terms of job titles, which can be too restricting at this stage, write down aspects of a job that would appeal to you (e.g. working with animals, being creative, earning a high salary) alongside aspects of your personality (e.g. caring, analytical, creative) to come up with a more rounded picture of a career that would suit you.
There’s bound to be tons of roles you’ve never even considered (or don’t know exist) out there. Very important is narrowing down the qualities important to you.
Research the best route in
Now you’ve got a better idea of what you’d like to do, spend some time finding out how to get your foot in the door.
Talk to people already in the industry and consider your options. Some jobs may specify an obligatory degree whereas others value work experience more highly.
There may even be grants available if you’re looking to retrain or there could be employers willing to pay training costs.
Make a plan
Now you know where you want to end up, but how are you going to get there? Set yourself some deadlines to mitigate the chances of watching TV in your PJs becoming ‘your thing’.
Aim to sort your CV and cover letter before everything else. Then aim to apply for a certain number of jobs a week – don’t make it too high, or you risk your applications becoming generic.
Reach out to people in your industry who inspire you on social media. Build a network of useful people around you who can help you get to where you want to be.
Make your Resume shine! Check the article How to Write a Winning CV