Barbara Corcoran’s 5 Right Steps To Make a Career Change
Written by
Terence Loose
Edited by
Jenna Klaverweiden
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If you’ve thought about a career change, you’re not alone. According to the World Economic Forum, in the future, people will change careers multiple times during their working lives. In fact, we already change jobs often. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans born between 1957 and 1964 changed jobs an average of 12 times by the time they were 56.
The bottom line, experts said, is that we will all need to become lifelong learners to adapt to multiple disruptions to our employment. In fact, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report predicted that by 2030, 39% of employees’ core skills will change.
During one of her “Business Unusual” podcast episodes, financial expert Barbara Corcoran offered five steps to making the dreaded career change smooth and successful. Here is some of her advice.
Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
Corcoran said that the best start to finding a new road for yourself is a willingness to be uncomfortable. After all, if what you wanted was comfort, you probably wouldn’t be thinking of a career change in the first place.
Taking on new challenges, honing new skills, risking failure — that can be painful. Accept it, embrace it and use it.
Be Resilient
Career changes are not for the faint of heart. “If you make a habit of being resilient, you’ll definitely get to where you need to go,” she said.
Remember, any new career path is going to have its highs and lows. Its’s moments of triumph and days of doubt. Muscle up and push through those and success is yours — or at least a lot more likely.
And being resilient can have health benefits too. According to the Mayo Clinic, being resilient can help protect you from things like anxiety and depression.
Don’t Box Yourself In
On the more practical side, Corcoran advised to avoid deciding ahead of time exactly what you want to do. Try different paths and see what fits your skill set and passions.
She compared it to shopping for clothes. You might have to try on a number of items before finding one that fits.
Make a List
To avoid boxing yourself into a new career that you will merely want to leave in years to come, Corcoran suggested making a long list of potential careers that sound interesting to you and take advantage of the skills you naturally have.
Give Yourself a Deadline
A hard deadline focuses the mind and forces action. Life circumstances and financial realities might dictate your timeline, but whether it’s three months, six months or a year out, Corcoran said a firm deadline to decide on a new career path is an essential step for success.
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