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It is estimated that 29% of post-graduates have completely changed their fields since their first job and 32% of employees between the ages of 25 – 44 years old have at least considered a career change. There are various reasons and benefits as to why people embark on a different career path, and contrary to popular belief, these reasons may go well beyond getting a higher salary or a “better job”.

You might have grown up always knowing what career you’ll pursue or perhaps certain influences made you choose your qualification. Now you are post-graduation, you’ve been in the working field for a few months or years and you’ve just realized that your passions and interests have completely changed. Now what? The first key is to realize career switching is more common than discussed and there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, when someone changes careers, it allows them to explore other avenues and be more creative. This can lead to improved self-esteem as well as an increased sense of purpose in their new role.

Author Jenny Blake defines career pivoting as “doubling down on what is working to make a purposeful shift in a new, related direction. Pivoting, in this sense, is “an intentional, methodical process for nimbly navigating career changes.” Like any general pivoting in life, career change is a calculated process that requires planning and boldness.

Here are a few steps to making your career change as smooth as possible:

Research your career options

Once you’ve identified that you need to pivot, you will have to research the career options that you would like to pursue. Go on job websites and look at Job Descriptions – read thoroughly and compare with skills that you have and the skills you need to acquire. Sometimes you might find that the degree you have does not necessarily match the job descriptions but it’s enough to get your foot in the door. And that’s the most important thing about career pivoting, getting your foot in the door and working your way up. Remember it’s a process.

Identify which skills can be transferred from your qualification

The goal is to position your CV in such a manner that is attractive to your potential recruiter. This means identifying which skills from your qualification or past job apply to the potential job. These transferrable skills may include communication skills, writing, managing people, problem solving, digital skills, etc.

Upskilling

This is quite self-explanatory. Once you identify the gap in your cv, you may explore doing a short course to upskill yourself or even starting a whole new degree to align academically align yourself with career you want to explore.

Networking

We’ve delved a lot into the importance of networking. When it comes to career pivoting, your networks might come in quite handy. Go through your list of contacts and approach your alumna who might work in the relevant field that you want to work in, approach them just to check if there might be available opportunities.

Highlight your transferred skills in the cover letter

Once again, you need to be able to explain in your cover letter how your skills can be transferred into the new role. This is your opportunity to explain that while your degree doesn’t directly align with the role you’re applying for, your current skills can be applicable.

As a disclaimer, it’s important to keep in mind though that it can take some time to figure out what to do next. However, most people that are career changers end up being happy with the new profession they pick. There is a common misconception that people who want to change their career field are lazy, unmotivated, or just unappreciative or indecisive.

In reality, people who make a career change are doing it so because they don’t have job satisfaction. They may feel a need to do something different with their life. The key here is to normalize change as much as possible. It’s okay to outgrow certain passions and interests and it is possible to make that bold career switch!

Feedback. That’s the magic word!

Let’s start by putting this out there: anything that you will do in your life will bring about a result/reaction of sorts. And your career and overall personal development depend on it.

Learning to receive criticism (unfair or not) with an open and calm mind is a game-changer! It stands to greatly improve your schoolwork, professional duties and help you nurture rich and strong relationships.

Like the air, feedback lives all around us

Feedback is not limited to the pointers directed to you by other people. It also includes the world ‘roughing you up’ as soon as you begin your pursuit of happiness.

Imagine yourself as a keen student doing your final year in high school. You are one of the sharpest minds at the school, in your community and always have been, right from your first class in Grade 8.

As expected, you breeze through matric examinations with four distinctions. At the beginning of the following year, private companies and government departments line up to offer academic funding. You eventually make a decision on which organization to sign with.

However, no one in your circle had the foresight to prepare you for a new environment – university. After all, we can’t focus on the student without acknowledging their environment. To begin with, the study material differs from the kind that you know from your high school career. As a result, failure of a few subjects in the first and second semesters knocks off your self-confidence. At the same time, the bursary agreement requires good grades in order to stay active.

You realize a few years later (after great struggles, an involuntary gap year, almost giving up everything and now with a new sponsor) that a bridging-course to prepare your mind for a new academic environment was necessary.

However (and this is the point of the scenario), the struggles and failures that you experience along the way serve as a kind of feedback loop that you can use to draw lessons and improve.

3 Tips for Handling Feedback Like a Pro

Ask for as much advice as you can

Use the feedback session to gather ideas on how you can change up your approach.

When you ask your teammates for honest feedback, it allows everyone in the room to get comfortable with the conversation. That habit will also show you off as a secure and confident person – the perfect person to study/work with.

Be secure: feedback is not a personal attack

Very few things are as important as learning to clearly separate the criticism directed at your work and the personal feelings that may arise.

Sure, it’s easy to identify personally with the work that you create. But all that does is increase the chances that your feedback sessions will be unpleasant experiences.

Well, there’s another way: confidence. Walk into work review sessions with the idea that they are a chance to look at your work through different eyes.

Switch between different perspectives

In order to process the feedback that you receive with kindness, it’s important that you look at the situation from the eyes of your lecturer, co-worker, spouse, etc. This makes you listen to another person with the intent to understand, instead of defending yourself.

This creates clarity for you. Example: a student might not see clearly the larger consequences of their actions or poor academic performance, and how to resolve those issues, but their lecturer might be able to intervene.

Keep this in mind: people respect and are drawn towards people who never take themselves too seriously. And in the fast-paced digital world that we live and work in, a teachable attitude is as good as having a senior certificate from a top-quality school.

Settling in at university and dealing with the transition from high school to university can be difficult for many students. It can be even harder to adjust when you can’t shake the feeling that the course, you’re studying is just not the one for you. So, you’ve finished an entire semester at university or the whole year and after careful considerations, you’ve fully convinced that this is not the qualification for you, what now? You’re feeling more confident about the course that’s suitable for you but how do you go about that changing courses?

There are so many things to think about when making this decision, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are a few things to consider when making this change:

The big Why? Why do you want to switch courses?

This question is really important as you have to interrogate yourself and have a solid answer before you can answer your student advisors, parents, friends, sponsors etc. People can have different reasons for this change. For e.g., in terms of longevity, you perhaps don’t see yourself in a certain field and industry as it doesn’t align with your passions. Perhaps your interests have dramatically changed and you’ve realized that you’re more into theatre and performance rather than finance or vice versa.

It could also be as simple as gaining more confidence in owning up to your decision and having that conversation. In other words, you’ve always known since high school what you wanted to study but you were too afraid of the reactions of those around you so you just went with the obvious choice, but now you’re fully ready to make a decision that is best for yourself.

Research the new course

It is important to do thorough research on the course you want to switch to because you want to avoid disappointments as much as possible. You could try attending some of the lectures of the new courses, asking questions to the students that are enrolled to gauge expectations. Google job listing websites and see what kind of career prospects are available and how much you could possibly earn.

Affordability

Switching your degree can set your graduation date back, sometimes by years, which can add more debt to your student loan. A move between faculties can also result in lost credits, a compromised scholarship and an increase in university fees. Before you make a decision, consider the financial setback this might have and whether you’re willing to go through with the decision regardless.

Secondly, if you have a bursary, you might need to confirm whether they can cover this change. For instance, if you’re with a bursary that solely covers Commerce/Accounting courses – it’s highly unlikely to cover your tuition if you want to switch to Health Sciences.

Visit the student/faculty office

Each institution will operate differently and have its own process. But generally, the best start is to approach your faculty and they can provide guidance on who you need to speak to, what department to approach, where to get forms to fill in etc.

Entry requirements and credit transfers

Do you meet the entry requirements of the course? Irrespective of the fact that you might have been accepted in your previous qualification, entry requirements may differ which is why you need to check. You may need a higher APS (Admission Point Score). Secondly, depending on the course you want to change to, you may be able to transfer credits for some of the courses you’ve done. But if the course you want to enroll in is extremely different, this might be a challenge.

Paperwork – Fill the relevant forms to officiate the switch

You will have to fill in a form that will ask you which course you’d like to switch to and why. Once again depending on the process of your institution, these will be available at the relevant faculty office. It can take a couple of days to weeks to finalize everything. Consult your academic advisor or student support office if you’re unsure where to get the form.

Please note that there isn’t a single formula for everybody who wishes to change their course – the outcomes will vary and is dependent on the respective institution involved and your academic performance. The above are only a few guidelines and some may not be necessary for all.

The most important takeaway is that changing your course isn’t an impossible task and doesn’t have to be daunting. As long as you’re confident that the change you want to make is right for you and your future.

The world is constantly changing. From the environment to the clothes we wear, and the views we are exposed to. In all these seasons of our lives we are always encouraged to grow, and maturity is often recognised as a sign of wisdom. Very often, however, people do not talk about the gravity of the big decisions we have to make along the way and how these decisions, just like everything else in life, are very susceptible to change.

What is change?

Change is defined as the act of replacing something with another thing, often newer or better. Unfortunately, the anxiety that surrounds change often overshadows the feelings of excitement for the new and better thing. Often, the feelings that are associated with change are fear, panic and anxiety. This is because in most cases change presents a level of uncertainty which our brains view as a threat. Research shows that because our brains dislike uncertainty, they attempt to make sense of what is happening by creating certainty where it does not exist. Unfortunately, the brain uses the worst-case scenario as the crutch, and this leaves us even more worried.

This may result from the loss of control that change comes with uncertainty and the insecurity of having to remove yourself from a familiar and mostly comfortable situation to an unknown territory. 

Why is change important?

Change may be necessary in many situations such as changing school subjects, moving to a different area, changing jobs and even changing what you are studying in university. Despite all the negative feelings that may result from the anxiety of changing your initial decision, change is important for several reasons and is more common than we think.

Change is inevitable

A constant fact about change is that it is inevitable. Nothing stays the same forever, and this is true about our capabilities, interests and hobbies. At 18 years-old you might have been interested in design but at 26 you realise that your capabilities are more suited as a strategist. You might have thought being a doctor is what will fulfil you but then in your second year you realise you actually want to become an architect or a musician. Every season in our lives is different and when we are younger, we often make less informed decisions because we do not have a true understanding of what we are truly interested in and what we are capable of.

Change invites more opportunities and experiences

When we make the decision to change an aspect of our lives, we are inviting different opportunities into our trajectory. It is only when we get comfortable with taking risks that we potentially position ourselves for experiences that will enhance our lives.

Change allows introspection and progress

Change means you have looked hard at your situation and realised that the end-result will not be favourable to you and that in order to attract a better one, you need to make a change. This means you are making progress about your future by thinking about the bigger picture and altering your journey to realising those big picture goals.

Interrogating your reasons for the change

Despite change being a good thing in most cases, it is still a decision that one should not take lightly. It is important to interrogate your reasons for wanting to change something about your life. Do you want to change your path because you have self-introspected and realised your talents and interests would be better suited elsewhere, or are you facing temporary difficulty in your current path and responding to this by giving up?

In some cases, people change their situations not because they have introspected and realised that they would be better suited for a different path, but because of setbacks and failure. Often failure is a crucial part of the journey and should be treated as a learning curve and not as proof that you need to change to a different and easier path.

Lastly, it is important that we always understand the gravity of our decisions and the reasons for wanting to make a change. A practical task might be to write down the pros and cons of your decision and the likely outcomes that it will present.