A book that I read over 15 years ago, entitled Divorcing a Corporation, How to Know When – and If – a Job Change Is Right for You by Dr. Jacqueline Plumez, stated eloquently that the luckiest people know what they want – and work for it. The less fortunate just know that something’s wrong. Do you feel impatient every time you sit down at your desk? Do you experience a nagging doubt? Or a growing excitement about all those other possibilities out there – if you just knew how to reach for them?

As Dr. Plumez states, when you discover your career isn’t right, there’s no thunderbolt. The decision to move builds gradually; it’s like a toothache that keeps aching until you can no longer ignore it. It’s hard to admit you’re on the wrong track, especially after having invested money in an education or time in a career. It’s unsettling to realize that you have been fulfilling others’ expectations instead of your own.

But there comes a point when you simply can’t hide your head in the sand anymore. Something’s got to give. For some people, it’s their health. They’ll begin to drink too much or get ulcers. For others, their personal lives become affected. Maybe they’ll start extramarital affairs or take out their anger on their families. Still others will fail on the job so the company will be forced to fire them.

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can do something constructive before you hit rock bottom. Life is too brief to waste it in a job you hate. If you have explored all the avenues open to you within your chosen field and you’re still not happy, then read on.

If you don’t have the time or the money to go to a career counselor to discover what you want to be, you might want to try the following exercises:

1. Daydream. Turn your fantasies into productive planning. Think of every job you ever wanted to have. Write them down. Mentally try each one on for size to see how it feels.

2. Use your public library. Take out The Dictionary of Occupational Titles and The Occupational Outlook Handbook. Run your finger down the index, making note of any occupation that strikes your fancy. Don’t be realistic right now. Don’t limit yourself. You’re an explorer searching new worlds. Don’t think about anyone else but yourself – like a child, play with the possibilities. You can get more realistic about what may or may not be practical later on. For now, what you need are ideas and direction. Analyze your list to see if your interests are clustered in a particular field – or if any occupation brings a “Eureka!”

3. Test your interest. One of my clients, a private investment banker, had always dreamed of being a doctor and she continually berated herself for not having the discipline to go to medical school. When I gave her a vocational interest test, she scored far more like a financial planner than a doctor. Realizing she had made a good choice, not a lazy one, she could put her daydreams aside and concentrate on her art – without uprooting her life. Another way to see if what you dream is what you want comes via a college catalogue. If you’ve always dreamed about becoming a doctor, take a pre-med course. If you want to know more about computers, there’s a course tailor-made for your specialty. Schools and universities offer countless courses on almost any subject you can think of. Check them out. See if your dream is grounded in reality.

4. Volunteer. Becoming a volunteer gives you a chance to try a job on a much higher level than if you came in as staff. A television producer I met began her career switch from motherhood to TV by volunteering at the local educational station.

5. Become an expert. Read everything you can on the subject that interests you. Learn the jargon and the buzzwords that are used in the field.

6. Network. Talk to everyone in the field. Make appointments and ask questions. Tell them you’re researching the industry for a career switch. If you want to keep your plan quiet, tell them you’re writing an article or gathering information for a course. The contacts you’ll make can help if you decide the field is the right one for you.

O.K., you’ve done your soul-searching. You’ve tested the waters. You can say with confidence that almost everything about your chosen field feels right. You’re ready to take the plunge. The time has come to make the switch. A successful switch takes careful planning. How much work are you willing to put into the switch? How much will you give up in terms of money and prestige? How can you sell yourself? How can you make your idea work? Answering these questions is a lonely job. Planning a career change is, unfortunately, a one-person proposition. The exercises I’ve outlined can help you plan out a strategy. And a little ingenuity can go a long way toward a successful change. Think if I can’t sell my experience, I’ll sell my motivation, instead of I can’t do that.

Remember, what you ardently desire, sincerely believe in, vividly imagine, enthusiastically act on, must inevitably come to pass. Make your dream come true.

Joe Hodowanes, a career strategy adviser in Tampa, Florida, offers a free resume and career analysis. Fax your resume to (813) 936-0201 or email it to jmwanes@jmwanes.com For questions, call Joe at (813) 936-0091 or visit www.jmwanes.com on the Web. All Job Search Advisor articles on this website are the property of www.jmwanes.com (J.M. Wanes & Associates). You may download
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© 2005 J.M. Wanes & Associates.