Look before leaping into new career

The other day I was working with a client who had gone back to school for re-training. “Jill” decided to make a career switch after experiencing a layoff and some other bumps along the way in an IT career. 

After spending considerable time and money on retraining, she discovered a whole bunch of new obstacles. There were few jobs in her new industry, the pay was much lower than she expected, and she really did not enjoy the work. Ugh.

This client’s situation is not uncommon. Too often people from all stages in their careers and at all levels of education make the same costly mistake. They jump in with both feet without taking time to investigate future job options.

Now, more than ever, it is imperative that people take the time to understand the ROI of education costs and the state of the job market they plan to enter. 

Get up-close and personal with people doing the work you imagine you want to do. Find out what the day-to-day job is really like. 

Research pay ranges and career paths into the new field. Assess your own personal strengths and values to make sure your new career really is a good match.

Look before you leap to avoid a painful and expensive career flop.
 
 

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