There are many reasons you may need to change careers over your working life. Perhaps you would like a change of scenery or have been made redundant. I recently spoke to one of our students, Annabella, who was in the latter position at the beginning of 2020—having worked for an airline company for 17 years before being made redundant. At first, it was devastating to lose a dream job. However, today, she has made a career altitude change and is working with dairy cows! I’ve taken some tips from our conversation and turned them into a handy guide.
-
Be proactive
It’s a good idea not to delay the hunt for a new vocation for too long. If you spend too long without acting, you may lose drive and motivation in your search. That being said, it’s a good idea to spend some time researching and trying out new things before setting yourself on a new path. Consider finding some people who do the sort of work that you’re interested in and ask about their jobs. You might even be able to find some places which will let you try out the job to see if it’s for you. This incidentally is how Annabella came to find her new career, a simple trial as a farmhand, which has taken her a lot further!
-
Follow your interests
We’ve all heard the saying, “follow your dreams!” Well, we can’t all be famous rockstars or artists, but we can follow what interests us. Think about the things that you’d like to do more of or would like to find out more about; there’s probably a career that shares a lot of those same characteristics out there. Incidentally, if you are a budding rockstar or artist, you can always pursue these things as a hobby and have a career on the side.
-
It’s never too late to learn something new!
Many of us think that education ends after we leave school or that “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.” But this isn’t true; people (and dogs) can always learn new skills at any stage of life! For example, Annabella had zero knowledge of cows before she started, and despite her long career beforehand, has become an absolute expert on the subject! She says that she wishes “people knew the beauty of study; if you’re old, it’s good to learn something new.”
We here at ADL are committed to courses that will take you to new careers. From farming to counselling and everything in-between, you can even make your own course for a tailored learning experience. We provide free and unlimited tutor support with every course to help you get the most out of the experience. In addition, all of our courses can be completed online at a pace that suits you!
