When you’re stuck in a rut and your once-passionate career has become a mundane routine, finding your way back to happiness can feel like an impossible task. Stuck with the question of “What do I want to do with my life?” for too long can lead even the most ambitious people to feel defeated, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There is nothing quite as invigorating as finding your new self and reigniting the spark within. Finding a new career path isn’t easy, but thankfully there are many resources out there that can help you navigate this transition. Additionally, there are plenty of ways that you can begin the process of answering this challenging question. Here are seven tips for helping you choose your new career path:

Know what you want and why you want it #

When we are lost, the best advice is to start with the basics. Before you can truly and meaningfully explore what you want to do, you need to know what it is that you actually want. Broadly speaking, there are two main components that we all consider when choosing a new career path.

• The first is “skills” – what can you do?
• The second is “attitudes” – what do you want to do?

Within these two main categories, there are a handful of other elements to consider:

• What are your passions?
• What are your values?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What is your personality type?
• What are your interests?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• What are your limiting beliefs?

Once you’ve explored these core questions, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what you want and why you want it.

Take an honest look at your skills #

If you’re trying to choose a new career path, it’s important to take an honest look at the skills you currently possess. Some people think they want to work in a new field, but they don’t actually have the skills required to succeed in that field. It’s important to match your skills to the career path you’re choosing. It’s also important to note that you can always develop new skills over time, so it’s not a deal breaker if you’re lacking something right now. If you’re trying to choose a new career path, it’s always a good idea to start with an honest assessment of your skills. You can do this by making a list of your current skills and then comparing it to the list of skills you’d need for your chosen career path.

Talk to people in your field #

Another way to dive deeper into your career path choice is to talk to people already working in your desired field. Doing so will allow you to gain valuable insight into your prospective new career, as well as help you clarify any lingering questions you may have about the field. You should make it a point to speak with a variety of people in your desired field. Ideally, you want to speak with people at all different levels of experience, as well as people who work in a variety of different roles. Doing so will help you gain a well-rounded view of what it’s like to work in that field. Additionally, you should ask your interviewees these three key questions: What do you like most about your job? What do you like least about your job? What would you change about your job? Your answers to these three questions will help you gain a more thorough understanding of what it’s like to work in your prospective career field.

Network like crazy #

If you’re trying to choose a new career path, you should network like crazy. Networking is an incredibly effective way to find job and career opportunities. Through networking, you can meet new people, find mentors and advisors, and increase your chances of finding your next job opportunity. There are a number of ways to go about networking, but the main idea is to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to new people. You can do this by joining LinkedIn groups, attending networking events, reaching out to people you admire, and connecting with hiring managers at your favourite companies. By networking like crazy, you’ll not only increase your chance of finding a job opportunity, but you’ll also expand your personal network, which can come in handy when you need help in the future.

Identify your barriers to employment #

One of the most challenging parts of choosing your new career path is dealing with your barriers to employment. For example, if you’re in the process of switching careers, you may not have the skills required for the job. Or, perhaps you don’t have the required experience to qualify for certain positions. Additionally, it’s also possible that you don’t even know where to begin looking for jobs in your desired field. The good news is that you can overcome these challenges by investing in yourself. For example, if you need additional skills in order to qualify for jobs in your prospective career path, you can use online courses to supplement your education. You should also keep in mind that you don’t have to solve all of your problems at once. In fact, it’s often better to tackle one problem at a time, so you don’t become overwhelmed.

Be flexible, but be strategic too #

As you begin exploring your career path, it’s important to be flexible, but it’s also important to be strategic too. In other words, you don’t want to simply drift from one opportunity to the next, but you also don’t want to be so rigid that you miss out on great opportunities. Ideally, you want to find a balance between being flexible and being strategic. One way to achieve this is to create a roadmap for your career transition. Your roadmap should include the ways you’re going to prepare for your career transition, as well as the ways you plan to make it happen. Additionally, it’s important to regularly revisit your roadmap to make sure you’re staying on track.

Conclusion #

Choosing a new career path can seem like an impossible task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many ways you can go about this process, whether you want to explore your interests, dive deeper into your skills, or do a little bit of both. If you follow these seven tips, you should be well on your way to finding your new career path.