Over the past few years, the way people work and learn has dramatically changed, and many people have taken the leap to venture into new careers. Some people have done this out of necessity, while others are seeking a new direction for a better life experience. To take on a new role used to mean that someone would have to give everything up and live with little money for a while, but this no longer needs to be the case. This guide provides numerous ways to grow into a new career without losing your current earnings.
The Side Hustle
A good freelance
project or 'side hustle' is a great 'try before you buy' way of working. It
allows someone to dip their toe into a new career without fully committing yet.
This can be done in several diverse ways; through advertising with your
existing network of friends and family; setting up a public pop-up space to
interact with potential customers in your free time; or arguably the most
popular, by using an online freelancer platform such as 'Fiverr.'
Depending on the
work you are interested in and whether you see it being set up as your own
business, the side hustle could be an easy option. There are so many
ways that fresh entrepreneurs can display their ideas today. If you are looking
to launch a new service or product, then a side hustle can be used to test
demand, and you can use public pop-up spaces and social media platforms to ask
questions to consumers and find out how to improve your product before you
invest significant funds into it.
Just remember to
keep good accounting records of your earnings for your tax bill. It is also a
clever idea to plan out a timeline for how you want your freelance work to
progress and how much profit you want to be making before you give up your day
job!
Volunteering
Need more
experience before jumping ship to a new career? Volunteering opportunities are
always an effective way to develop hands-on experience in any role. It may be
that you are looking into a new role in marketing. Why not volunteer for a
small charity in your spare time to practice your marketing skills and build up
your resume. If you want to open a restaurant in the future, you should
consider organizing or being a part of a volunteer-led café. This would offer
experience, contacts, and a reality into what that lifestyle might be like.
There are plenty of
volunteer bank schemes around that create communication between
organizations that want volunteers and those that want to help. The
long-standing tradition of contacting an organization by letter, email, or
phone still works too!
If you are going to
volunteer, it is important to be realistic about how much time you can commit
and be honest with the place you intend to help. It would not reflect well on
you if you overcommitted and underdelivered with your time.
Online Learning
It is now easier
than ever to learn about a new topic from the comfort of your own home.
Languages, cookery, customer service, teaching, and really anything that you
can think of can now be accessed online. The quality levels and prices vary
hugely too. Casual platforms like YouTube are mainly amateur-led and can range
widely in the subject area. Many YouTubers that have become professional within
their channels in delivering advice now offer exclusive subscription services
and training packages too.
At the other end of
the scale, you can now access university degrees online. Universities such as the
University of Exeter now offer an online master's
degree in education for those looking to enter traditional and non-traditional
educational settings, like working in schools or museums. The brilliant part is
that to access their online masters degree in education, you only need to already have a 2:1 or 2:2
honors degree or equivalent, but from any subject at all. So, you studied
business at university, but now you want to consider work in education on the
side to your job. No problem! All the materials are available online to enjoy
at your own pace, in your own time, and in your own home.
Shadowing
Like volunteering,
finding a mentor would suit your next steps in a career change. Learning the
ropes or 'shadowing' someone who is already successful in what you hope to do
can be extremely helpful. Is there someone that you think has it just, right? Perhaps
reach out to them, and see if they run a course or would be willing to spend
some one-on-one time with you. They might have their own web platform or book
that you can read for insider inspiration or even an internship scheme that you
can be a part of.
Finding a mentor is
also helpful just for the mental motivation and positivity needed to take the
brave step of changing a career, regardless of the area you are going into. Many
people are now making a living in their motivational coaching, and having a
coach is no longer something to be embarrassed about. It is a sign that you are
determined to succeed. Being in a good mental state will provide the best platform to build a new
professional life from.
'Ted Talks' have become well known as a space for inspiring speakers to deliver speeches, and many are available to view for free online. This means that anyone looking for a little motivation can simply listen to the talks in the background of their normal work, before going to bed, or as a morning time routine.
Anyone serious about changing any major aspect of their life, especially a career, which is your sole source of income, must think seriously about how to give it the best possible chance. While quitting your current job to invest in your big idea is great in theory, it would be extremely hard to succeed without the research, experience, and right attitude.
