A successful career change is a bridge, not a leap: choose the new field, find out which of your current skills carry over to it, close the gap with practical projects, then look for an in-between role that combines your old experience with the new field.
Step by step
- 1
Be sure of the reason
Is the problem the field itself, or the company or your manager? The answer changes the decision.
- 2
Test the new field
Conversations with people who work in it, a short course and a small project before you resign.
- 3
Identify your transferable skills
Management, communication, analysis and industry experience come with you and shorten the path.
- 4
Close the gap
Learn the missing skills through projects you can put on your CV.
- 5
Look for the bridge role
A role that combines your previous experience with the new field, inside your current company or in your industry.
- 6
Plan your finances
Savings that cover the transition period, since your salary may start lower for a while.
Quitting before you have tested the new field turns a career decision into financial pressure that pushes you to accept any opportunity.
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