6 ways to explore a new profession before changing your career path

You’ve decided to make a career change, that’s great (but maybe a bit scary). Now the next thing to do is explore the profession before making a decision to go with it. Once you have made a decision you can search JobCute for the largest selection of new jobs avialable in your chosen profession.

You probably have had a chance to meet people who went to university (and invested a lot of money) only to find out after their graduation that their chosen profession was not what they thought it would be.

Exploring a potential new career before actually going for it can save you a lot of time and disappointment. While you cannot predict 100% how it will go, you can definitely get a better idea of how it will look and feel like by trying the following things.

1. Find an affordable course

In the past, workplaces used to train their employees on the job, while today companies expect you to deal with the cost of their own training. This means you’ll often need to invest a serious amount of your money and time and learn some new skills. Before you commit yourself, we will suggest you try things out in an affordable way.

Let’s say you are considering to become a movie writer. You can search for a beginners course on Udemy, Lynda.com or Coursera, if you liked it, then you can search for longer and more developed programs.

Bear in mind, you are taking the affordable course to gather enough information to help you to decide whether to pursue or drop it.

2. Check out the industry by reading books and blogs on the profession

By reading specific blogs and books related to the profession, it will help you to understand either it should be your new career path or not.

Are they interesting to you? Did you enjoy learning about the industry?

3. Join relevant groups on Facebook, attend relevant live events

Joining relevant Facebook groups or go to live events that can help you to meet many people in your interest field. Then you will have a chance to explore a bit more about what these professionals have to say, their concerns or the way they welcome newbies.

Ask yourself if you can relate to them and pay attention to the way you feel when interacting with them.

When joining a new Facebook group, always try to introduce yourself, then observe things for a little while. Try to avoid asking very general and random questions like, “Should I become a digital nomad?” No one in this Facebook group knows you well enough to give you the advice you’re looking for. What you can do is look for interesting people and strike up a conversation.

When attending a live event, spend time saying hello to the other attendees. People attend to assume that the only interesting people at this event are the speakers, but the best connections can be created just by talking to the person sitting next to you. Pay attention to how you feel about the general “vibe” and whatever you liked the conversations and the topic. This can help you understand whether you would like to join the profession or not.

4. Look people up on LinkedIn

You want to get an idea of the level of your own skills, education or job experience when compared to other people in the same industry. Review your chosen profession and check things such as if people in this industry have a degree and what type of degree is it.

You will find that there are industries and professions which are more open than others, such as the tech industry which is mostly result-oriented.

While some other professions require specific degrees and licenses such as Law or the Healthcare Sector.

5. Reach out to people working in the field

Sometimes what you will see or read on the media or what you imagine it to be isn’t the reality of actually working in the profession. Some people choose to go into writing because it makes them feel creative, without understanding that a lot of writers are self-employed. As a working writer, you will have to learn different skills such as how to negotiate your fees, find your own clients, market your work and so on. Sometimes a big part of what professional writers do is actually business marketing.

Talking to 10 different people who all work in the same profession can help you a lot. It’s enough people to discover some trends in their answers (like lack of work-life balance).

Digging into all aspects of a possible career can really help you make up your mind.

6. Learn about salary ranges

If the salary is important to you, pick wisely the career field you’re going into. There are artists who earn millions, but the majority of artists are underpaid. On the other hand, even lower positions for some professions can be well paid. Software Engineers or brokers can start their careers at higher salaries.

If you have some financial goals in mind, estimating your salary potential is essential. Keep in mind that the same profession can be paid differently in another location.

Taking the time and follow each of the steps above, will give you a better idea of what any profession is really like.

Now, are you ready to look for your new path?

Use JobCute to browse some of your ideal job positions.