When change is on the horizon, it’s common to overthink, worry and question everything. The brain takes over: you create pros and cons lists and the agony of the decision can take over your whole life. Luckily, you’ve got another way to work through this situation. It may seem silly, even trivial or new-agey, but creating a vision board can provide clarity, attract your ideal career and save your sanity.

A vision-what?

A vision board is a visual representation of what you want to manifest. At the most basic level, creating a vision board can help you see what you’re thinking. It puts visuals to complicated thought processes where words may fail. Oftentimes, the images you choose don’t necessarily make sense, but when put together, they create a representation of your true self.

On a deeper level, vision boards help you attract what you want in life. Think of it like asking the universe for what you want. If you don’t know what you want to create or manifest, the universe won’t know, either. The key in manifesting is to know what you want and articulate it. Many of us have a hard time articulating our deepest desires in words, so creating a visual image helps.

This process taps into a deep, unconscious part of yourself that knows your ideal career. This part is free from cultural desires or what you think you want or are taught to want. You might be surprised to see the career you want isn’t about money or prestige or that you’re interested in a different industry.

Vision boards are useful for many life changes, from finding a mate to buying a house, and can be used for general life purposes, like career or vacation goals. There aren’t any rules except to find a bunch of words, images and visual representations of what you want and put them on a board. Size and your artistic ability don’t matter.

Remember that the brain wants to create whatever it’s told. If you constantly tell yourself you’re a failure or don’t deserve a good job, you’ll never achieve what you truly want. What you put on your board needs to transcend these self-defeating thoughts to focus on the positive potential in yourself. Whatever you believe, you become.

Create a vision board in five simple steps

Creating a vision board is simple:

1. Collect your supplies

Find every old magazine in the house that can be cut up, pull out the scissors and glue and have a dedicated piece of cardboard or poster board to use. You could even use cork board and push-pins. Be as creative or simplistic as you’d like.

2. Set aside time to work on your vision board

Sit down with your supplies, maybe some nice music, a glass of wine and no distractions. Either do this by yourself, with your partner or have some friends over for a vision board party.

3. Close your eyes and center yourself before you open the magazines

This could be as simple as taking a few slow breaths or as complex as a full ritual and meditation session. Don’t try to do anything new, but do what feels appropriate. If you’re trying to find a job or attract your ideal career, repeat “ideal career” or “find a job” to yourself a couple times. By doing this, you set the intention of what you’re doing and remind yourself of your goal.

4. Open the magazines and cut out anything that resonates with you or inspires you

This is big: don’t try to create something or think too much. If you flip a page and an image speaks to you, cut it out. If you see a keyword and it creates some thought or reaction, cut it out. Flip pages and cut and lose yourself in this process. Let go of the desire to analyze or figure anything out. By refraining from thinking about it, you’ll be able to access deeper areas of yourself.

5. Put the images and words onto your board

Either find a creative way to arrange them or just slap them on.

What to do with your completed vision board?

When your board is complete, hang it somewhere you’ll see it. Look at your board often, think about it, study the images and keep the intention or goal in mind. Take some time in the morning or before bed to reflect on your deepest dreams, goals or desires. Use all your senses to imagine the end result, like what it feels like to sit in your new office or the happiness you feel when helping people.

This may not be a quick process, but by keeping your vision board in a noticeable place, you’ll constantly be sending messages out into the universe that you’re serious about creating this change and you’re ready for that goal to manifest into reality. If you’re truly committed to manifesting this change, the universe will respond. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Stay focused, but be patient. You can create your own reality and attract your dream job.

Amber Erickson Gabbey, MA, is a freelance writer, holistic health expert and yoga instructor. She blogs at Mindfully Written with the goal of inspiring and empowering others toward health.

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The post Use This Fun Tool to Plan Your Next Career Move appeared first on Brazen Life.

At this point in your not-so-new career, not only are your feet wet; you’re practically wading knee-deep and thinking, “When is my next move going to be? How long do I have to stay in this entry-level position?”

Lindsey Pollak, GenY career expert and bestselling author of Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World, offers key factors to consider when you’re thinking about moving on from your current position…

Read more at Black Enterprise…

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That’s advice you’ve probably heard and perhaps taken to heart. It’s one of the most popular pieces of guidance echoed by almost every career counselor.

The problem is, it’s a myth that’s doing a lot of damage.

As noted by The Wall Street Journal, the seven career claim has been debunked. The Bureau of Labor Statistics summarizes it best:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) never has attempted to estimate the number of times people change careers in the course of their working lives. The reason we have not produced such estimates is that no consensus has emerged on what constitutes a career change.

How many times does the average person change careers? Nobody knows. But, more importantly, who cares?

You’ll hold a number of jobs during your career. You’ll probably even reach a point in your career when you feel like the path you’re on is in need of a major overhaul. Just because you reach moments when your career needs to adjust, don’t let your thinking get clouded.

Although you’ll have several jobs during your lifetime, you’ll only have one career

(Click here to Tweet this thought.)

You’ll only have one body of work to shape, create and leave behind. Grandiose as it may sound, it’s true. The belief that we’ll have seven careers during our working lifetime leads us astray because it’s the wrong way to think about work.

The seven-career mentality promotes a transient way of approaching your career. Instead of working hard to refine a craft and become a master, jumping from one career to the next breeds a mentality that work is more about doing whatever it is your next position asks you to do.

One path leads to specialization; the other, to a situation where your value is developed by and reliant on your employer. One path leads to mastery of a craft; the other, to a scenario where you remain the apprentice.

The difference may sound slight, but it’s not.

By jumping from career to career, it’s easy to develop a  mentality that says, “I’ll just go do what is asked of me.” In some ways, there’s nothing wrong with that mentality. We all need to learn on the job. But our career learning needs a purpose. It needs a goal that ties it all together.

Successful careers are not built by jumping from one thing to the next without building off previous work. Rather, success comes from becoming good at something.

Develop a craft, make that craft valuable to others, and become known for it

This is a far different approach than career vagabonding, or jumping from one career path to the next.

The nature of work has undergone an immense shift, causing employee value to be seen in a whole new light. Seniority is no longer synonymous with value. When it comes to developing career success, it’s not enough to be the last person standing. A different kind of value is needed — a kind that allows for the changing of jobs, not pursuits.

The seven-career myth has led us astray. It mistakenly discounts the value of developing precisely focused skills and talents.

You won’t have seven careers, only one. Start focusing on becoming a master at it. Block out the noise. Jobs can be quickly changed, yet true skill takes time to build. Success doesn’t come any other way.

Tyler Waye is an early career strategist and author focused on exposing misguided career assumptions and advice. You can find him on tylerwaye.com and @tylerwaye.

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Whatever the reason, reinventing yourself is a long and complicated road, and some words of advice from someone who’s been there, done that can certainly help.

Well, what about 49 words of advice?

In an epic post on TechCrunch, writer, author and entrepreneur (and general rabble-rouser) James Altucher shares the lessons he’s learned from 20 years of rebooting and rebranding himself, including such brazen tips as:

PP) What if I get depressed?

Sit in silence for one hour a day. You need to get back to your core.

If you think this sounds stupid then don’t do it. Stay depressed.

QQ) What if I don’t have time to sit in silence?

Then sit in silence for two hours a day. This is not meditation. This is just sitting.

RR) What if I get scared?

Sleep 8-9 hours a day and never gossip. Sleep is the No. 1 key to successful health. It’s not the only key. It’s just No. 1. Some people write to me and say, “I only need four hours of sleep” or “in my country sleeping means laziness.” Well, those people will fail and die young.

What about gossip? The brain biologically wants to have 150 friends. Then when you are with one of your friends you can gossip about any of the other 150. If you don’t have 150 friends then the brain wants to read gossip magazines until it thinks it has 150 friends.

Don’t be as stupid as your brain.

You can read the full article here.

What do you think of Altucher’s advice? Is he spot on, or way out there?

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Don’t despair — you’re not the first person to find yourself in this pickle. Believe it or not, you can transfer plenty of skills from your field to your next dream job. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) And if you’re on the lookout for a drastic career change, quite a few unexpected jobs pay surprisingly well.

Here are six of the top transferable skills all employers want and how you can mine them from your experience, no matter how distant your ideal job seems from your current career:

1. You know how to keep lines of communication open

Whether your experience has been arguing criminal cases in front of a jury or fielding customer complaints at a call center, your communication skills will serve you well as a career changer.

Being able to clearly communicate your thoughts, ideas and suggestions is valued in every workplace. In addition, if you’re adept at reading people and tweaking your communication style to meet the needs of those you work with, you’ll become invaluable to whatever organization you want to join.

Think of what your colleagues, clients and supervisors would say about your communication skills, and translate that praise into your resume and interviewing plan of attack.

2. You can organize, manage and lead teams efficiently

Even if the only group you’ve had the chance to lead was your son’s little league team, your ability to lead a group, organize different players and manage unexpected situations — like rain or wardrobe malfunctions — will serve you well as you change careers.

Think back on your career for times when you were selected to lead a project, discussion or committee. Don’t rule out any time when you were able to take charge and facilitate a positive outcome.

Find ways to share examples from a universal perspective. Identify specific skills and outcomes rather than the tasks you performed. For example, you could say, “Led a team of 12 people to successfully meet and exceed goals for three quarters” rather than explaining the technical details of your work as an accountant, office manager or other specific position.

Your ability to broadly highlight your leadership and management abilities will put you at the top of the list in your new job search.

3. You naturally go the extra mile

Being willing to do more than you’re asked — as well as the ability to anticipate the needs of your boss, customers or colleagues — are key factors to success in any industry. Identify examples of when you went above and beyond.

It could have been taking on an extra project, putting in extra hours or extending your patience to help train the new recruit. Highlight those examples, and be as specific as possible without pigeonholing yourself in the field you’re leaving.

If you received any service awards or other acknowledgement for your efforts, be sure to include those details in an “Awards and Recognitions” section on your resume.

4. Your passion drives your performance

Chances are there’s something about the job you’re leaving that you feel passionately about — there’s a reason you chose it in the first place. Identify those core elements that drove you into this field and isolate their value to your new field.

If you chose journalism because you love telling stories, but you’re burned out on chasing ambulances and legislative upsets, maybe you can parlay that love into working at your local library, social media management or Web marketing. Find a company, hobby or interest you enjoy and translate your storytelling skills into telling that story instead of dissecting the traumas and tribulations of the world.

5. You’re a pro at wearing many hats

All the clichés about juggling and hats come into play when you’re switching fields. If your job gave you the chance to fulfill more than one role at your company — such as managing both the marketing and the HR departments — highlight that experience when applying for jobs.

These skills are crucial, especially if you’re drawn to working for a non-profit or becoming a teacher, two of the hottest fields for career jumpers. In smaller companies and classrooms, you need to be able to manage more than one task at a time without losing sight of your ultimate goal — or losing control of your charges.

6. You can be counted on

Believe it or not, your perfect attendance record and wasted vacation days can be a top selling point, no matter how big a jump your move from accountant to massage therapist seems. Just like clients need their taxes filed on time, clients also want a massage therapist to begin and end their $100 massage on time.

If you can be relied upon and don’t leave people waiting, you’re already on the road to success no matter what your career change is. But if you include “dependability” in the list of skills on your resume, make sure you have specific examples to back it up when you’re asked about it in an interview.

What other skills do you think all employers value?

Elli Bishop is the community manager for The Daily Buzz, the BusinessBee blog. You can follow BusinessBee on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

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The post 6 Appealing Skills to Include on Your Resume When You Change Careers appeared first on Brazen Life.

What did that sofa ever do to you? Spills, food stains and that permanent spot shaped like you — your job could be behind all of it.

You come home from work determined to make a change in your career. But you’re tired from the day, annoyed by a coworker or just ready to check out for a few minutes. A glass of wine, some takeout Chinese and a few TV shows later, you end up feeling guilty, annoyed with yourself and even more stuck in your work rut.

And nothing has changed except for your posture. You’re slouching… and you’re becoming a slouch about your career path in the process.

This cycle can feel endless. The only changes are your energy (down), attitude (bad) and sense of motivation (fleeting at best).

It doesn’t have to stay this way. (Click here to Tweet this!) To spend less time on your couch and more time on your career, try the following:

1. Forget about your resume for a minute

Even the smallest job change can seem scary or overwhelming. You feel like you constantly need to network, update your resume, read postings — it’s hard to know where to begin.

So, begin with whatever’s easiest for you. For many, that’s actually not the resume. There’s a special place in hell for resume updating, and the thought of reviewing our resumes keeps many of us cocooned on our couches.

If this sounds like you, then forget about your resume and start somewhere else.

Reach out to friends and ask for their help. Warm up your network and invite one or two people out for coffee to chat about their work or their companies. Spend some time on LinkedIn, check out companies you like and connect with people you want to know.

Go to a few new social or networking events and start spreading the idea that you might be in the market for a new job. Spend time on Eventbrite or Meetup. Hire a coach and put together a career plan.

You can do anything. Just start with something that feels easy to you. Once you gain momentum after those first few small steps, you can tackle the harder stuff. And maybe that means eventually you’ll update your resume. Maybe.

Your action plan: Find one small thing you can do for your career tomorrow night and put it on your calendar. Commit to spending 30 minutes looking for jobs online, finding one event you plan to attend or sending three email invitations to join you for coffee or cocktails. Plan to do just one thing. And then do it.

2. Don’t leave yourself to your own devices

It’s easy to let yourself down by blowing off events and tasks left and right. But it’s a lot harder to let down friends. This is human nature, and it can be the boost you need to get off your sofa.

If you want to change careers or jobs, it’s hard to motivate and maintain action on your own. So, it’s time to get some support from those you trust.

Your friends, family or an organized coworker — anyone can be your motivation. But try to include them in your planning and progress. For example, the next time you go to a networking event, make sure you invite someone else along or agree to meet someone there. That may be just the push you need to make sure you actually show up.

Or, ask a friend to introduce you to someone in their network; you’re less likely to sit on that email and not take action if you know your friend did you a favor.

It’s the good old buddy system in action, and you can use it to gently motivate yourself out of that seated position on the end cushion.

Your action plan: Get your motivational support team in place and figure out how to add some accountability and encouragement into your job search or career challenges. Pick at least one person, ask for their help and start making plans.

3. Let yourself off the hook for one night

We put so much pressure on ourselves to make progress, take action and do something that we start to stress and burnout. This leaves even less energy for positive career action.

If you’re truly exhausted from the grind at work, if you feel like you don’t have any energy to take action, if you’re completely tapped out — then just stop.

It’s okay to take a night off from life and work every now and again and not focus on what you think you should do, but what you want to do.

Have some fun. Relax. Read a book. Go out to dinner. And make an agreement with yourself that for one night, you won’t worry. Or, if you want, you can just sit there all night and stress out in complete peace. It’s up to you.

But here’s the deal: you’re allowed to do this only if you commit to a) saying it’s just for one night and b) letting yourself enjoy it. Whatever you want to do, just do it. Because you know that tomorrow, you’ll go back to putting one foot in front of the other.

Your action plan: Pick a night, put it on your calendar and let it all hang out.

If you start small, get some support and periodically let yourself relax, you’ll be off your couch and moving into action in no time. Your career, and your sofa, will thank you!

Christie Mims is an expert career coach and the creator of the Career Happiness Revolution. If you want to discover the dirty little secret to your career happiness, sign up over here and connect on Facebook and Twitter.

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The post Get Up Off Your Sofa and Find Your Dream Job appeared first on Brazen Life.

You’ve decided it’s time to make a career change.

Many people grapple with how to make a successful career change and make a few common, avoidable mistakes. If you’re considering a career change, here are three errors you should watch out for:

1. Keeping your struggles in your head

This is the most common mistake I see as a career coach. It’s made so often I’ve coined a name for it: early dismissal.

Here’s how early dismissal works. You come up with an appealing career idea, like being an architect. You initially feel optimistic and hopeful about your future life designing buildings. You happily imagine all the wonderful aspects of the job.

And then, just as quickly, doubts begin to creep in. You start to wonder if you’re cut out for all that schooling. You recall that your uncle, who worked as an architect, often complained about his job. And you never were great at drawing. With a sigh, you mentally cross off the possibility of going down this career path.

The following week you run through the whole process again with a new profession.

The symptoms of early dismissal are frustration and confusion about your career direction. There’s also a distinct lack of any action in the real world. Everything occurs in your head.

The solution to early dismissal is to get out of your head, talk to people and test out your ideas in the real world. (Click to Tweet!) Give yourself the opportunity to get as clear as possible about what your day-to-day life would be like in the profession you’re considering.

By doing this, you’ll get a more accurate understanding of whether or not you’re on the right track. Plus, by connecting with people in your desired field, you’ll naturally set yourself up for being able to network into a job.

2. Confusing short- and long-term goals

What do you do when you want to leave your job right away and make a bigger career change?

People frequently get confused in this situation. They know they want to make a big career change, but they also know they can’t immediately make the jump to a new field. After all, making a career change can take some time. You might need to go back to school, work at an entry-level position to gain experience or learn the ropes of running your dream business.

When you’re faced with a lengthy timeframe for making a change, you might wonder if you should ditch your bigger dream entirely since it won’t happen right away.

No!

It means you should approach leaving your job and building your new career path as two separate tasks. First, handle the short-term goal of finding a new job you’re qualified for. Then tackle the long-term goal of building toward your career change.

3. Trapping yourself with a negative outlook

Nobody’s positive all the time, but if you find yourself getting Eeyore-ish about your future prospects, it’s time to take note. Your negative thoughts influence your actions. If you’re constantly thinking, “No one will ever hire me,” you might not bother to apply for jobs.

There are two main warning signs that your thoughts are impeding your progress. One, you feel discouraged, stuck or hopeless. Two, you aren’t taking action toward your goals.

Step back and notice what you’re thinking. Write down these thoughts and look at how they’re impacting the way you’re feeling and acting. Doing this will decrease your attachment to unhelpful thought patterns.

Next, try to find a perspective that feels more empowering and motivating. You can change your mindset from “I’m not experienced enough for this job” to “I am capable of learning how to do this job.” Choose a thought that feels better and that you actually believe, and look for evidence of why this new thought is true.

It’s possible to make a career change, but it does take a willingness to try new things, patience and a positive outlook. This may sound like a tall order, but remember that the reward of a new, better-fitting career will be worth it.

Have you gone through a career change? What helped you through it? Leave a comment below!

Alison Elissa Horner is a career coach who specializes in helping people figure out their career direction. She is currently offering a free telecourse called “Creating a Winning Career Plan,” and she also writes free weekly tips on navigating your career that you can sign up for here.

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The post The 3 Worst Mistakes to Make When Changing Careers appeared first on Brazen Life.

The reality was, I was miserable.

I hated practicing law. I hated it every single second of every single day for five years. (And given my workload, that included weekends, too!)

It was on the eve of my 30th birthday that I finally quit. I was sick and tired of hating my work. And I didn’t want to live with the same gnawing sense of career anxiety in my 30s that plagued my 20s. I knew there was something better out there for me. But at the time, I couldn’t imagine what it was.

Running from the law to do what I loved

Without any real plan in mind, I did the only respectable thing I could think of: I packed my bags and went off to graduate school. I’ve always loved learning and had been a great student, so going back to school was the perfect escape from Alcatraz (a.k.a., the law).

I earned a degree in Human Resource Management from Cornell University and went straight on to Goldman Sachs, where I started managing corporate learning and development for technology executives around the world.

My job was all about helping people be their very best at work: team building, performance management, leadership development and coaching for success. I loved it right from the start!

To go so quickly from work I hated to work I loved was just incredible. All the negative energy I once spent on worrying myself sick and complaining about my job was transformed into positive energy and boundless drive. Even though I was making less money, work went from being drudgery to a joy. I could see the positive impact of my efforts on people’s lives every day. And I wanted to do more, more, more.

So after a couple of years, I left Goldman Sachs to start my own consulting firm to help other Wall Street firms manage people more effectively and maximize the potential of their employees.

I couldn’t have been happier. For a good eight months or so, things were literally perfect. I had great clients, I was doing work that I loved—and, I was making more money than ever before.

Then came 9/11. And right alongside the World Trade Center, my business crumbled, too. With the whole city in mourning, it seemed that team building and leadership development were the last things on anyone’s mind.

Not knowing what I wanted to do, but doing it anyway

“Now what?” I thought long and hard. But no clear answers emerged.

Instead, a million Ideas for businesses I could start, products or services I could sell, websites I could create and more flooded my brain. For each idea I had, I bought the related Web address (domain name). Before I knew it, I owned more than a hundred domain names.

One day, someone called me and wanted to buy one of my domains. That day changed my life, because I learned that domain names are like pieces of digital real estate on the Internet and can sometimes be extremely valuable.

My domain addiction only grew from there. Hundreds of domains turned into thousands. And at an average renewal price of $10 a year, owning thousands of domain names came with a hefty price tag! It’s fair to say I had become a full-fledged Internet junky. I was working around the clock to learn how to sell and trade domain names, develop websites, blog, use Google Adwords and Adsense, write Web copy and more.

While I was making some money between a few high-paying consulting gigs and domain sales, in those days, my spending typically outpaced my earnings by a pretty good margin.

Brushing off the career exploration naysayers

Everyone around me worried that my career still hadn’t gotten back “on track.” When I would excitedly brag to my friends about my latest domain name conquests and Internet marketing exploits, they could only roll their eyes and admonish me to “get a job.”

And my poor parents—they were so disappointed. My dad gave me pep talks about how my old law firm would surely love to hire me back. (How comforting!) And my mom, bless her heart, urged me regularly to “find a job with the government, because they have such good benefits.” (Perhaps the DMV or the Post Office could use someone with my skill set?)

While my income during much of my 30s was wildly inconsistent, I was somehow never worried about my career. Whether I was making money or not, I knew I was on the right path. A path to where, I still didn’t know. All I knew was that I loved what I was doing, I loved what I was learning and I loved all the ideas, opportunities and possibilities I was exploring every day. I was happy and confident that one day it would all make sense.

And then, one day, it did.

Becoming the master of .CO domains

I had just turned 40 when I met Juan Diego Calle. We hit it off famously. He had this big idea about turning Colombia’s .CO domain extension into the world’s next great Web address.

Given all my years in the domain space, I knew better than anyone the frustration people felt with the lack of good domains. I also knew how exciting it was to find the perfect domain name for your business, brand or blog. The project captured my imagination like nothing ever had before. Although I’d never held a marketing job in my life, I convinced Juan that I could get the job done. And I’ve been doing it ever since.

We launched .CO to the world three years ago. Since then, people in more than 200 countries have registered over 1.5 million .CO domain names. In my role as VP and brand strategist, it feels like every odd skill, bit of experience and piece of knowledge I’ve ever learned is put to work on a daily basis. My work is filled with purpose as I get to work with an incredible team of professionals to help people all over the world bring their ideas to life online.

For those of you who are feeling stuck doing work that you hate, or who simply have the sense that you’re traveling down the wrong career path, I’d like to share a few words of advice:

1. Listen to yourself

If you feel anxious about going to work every day, chances are something’s wrong. Listen to your gut. If it’s giving you clues that you’re in the wrong job or pursuing the wrong career path, then you probably are.

Do something about it. You never know what incredible opportunity could be waiting for you just around the next corner.

2. Open your heart

Forget the notion that you’re supposed to be climbing some pie-in-the-sky career ladder to success. Instead, open your heart and your mind to new people, experiences and opportunities.

When you let your interests, instincts and passions lead the way, you never know what you might discover about yourself—or what interesting new twists and turns your life may take.

3. Don’t let your degrees dictate your choices

Just because you have a law degree doesn’t mean you’re sentenced to a lifetime practicing law. The same goes for HR, finance, medicine or any other field.

It’s normal to deviate from a plan you may have made when you were younger—or even one you made just yesterday. It doesn’t matter what your degree says. What matters is how you apply your education and seize the opportunities that life throws your way.

4. Tune out the naysayers

Be wary of self-appointed career advisors who may not fully understand you or your choices. It’s your life!

My friends and family thought I was crazy when I started my love affair with domain names—but it turned out to be the greatest career move of my life. Although they had the best intentions for me, had I listened, I might still be a sad and deflated lawyer.

5. Keep moving forward

Your life and career are going to be filled with mistakes and failures. Don’t get hung up on them. After all, it’s the collection of your experiences—especially the hard knocks—that make you uniquely you.

I hated practicing law, but quitting that job taught me there was work out there that I could truly love. I absolutely loved being a management consultant, but it was only when my business failed that I stumbled upon my true career passion.

Have faith in yourself, learn from your mistakes and stay focused on your strengths and passions. Most of all, keep moving forward. You can always correct course from a wrong turn; just don’t let yourself stall out.

Lori Anne Wardi is Vice President of Brand at .CO. Responsible for all matters involving brand strategy, business development and global communications, she spends her time traveling the world and preaching the bible of .CO.

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The post How a Burned-Out Lawyer Quit Her Job and Discovered Her Dream Career appeared first on Brazen Life.

There’s just one problem. There are only about 10 jobs in the whole country in your field, and about 100,000,000 people are competing for them.

Actually, there are a few more problems. Those 10 jobs happen to be located in the middle of small-town Alaska, far, far away from friends and family. Also, they pay way below the cost of living, and there’s no guarantee those jobs will still exist a couple years from now.

In other words, even though you’re still motivated and driven to pursue the career you always knew was right for you, it’s just not a viable option anymore. The jobs simply aren’t there.

Think this is hypothetical?

I found myself in this situation when I graduated with a journalism degree just as the economy tanked. During my post-graduation summer internship with a major newspaper, I watched the publication go through two rounds of layoffs in 12 weeks. Meanwhile I saw former superstar classmates—the ones I was certain would become the next Woodward or Bernstein—lose their jobs left and right.

My passion for journalism was still strong, but the instability and uncertainty of the field made me realize I needed a new plan.

Five years later, I’ve found my niche as a Web copywriter. As a journalism student, I had never considered any other job. But due to the doom and gloom surrounding the “death of the industry,” my journalism-focused self had to find new focus.

You can transition to a new career, too, and you don’t have to go back to school to do it. Here’s how you can translate your skills and passion into a different job you may not have even known existed:

Focus on what you love so much about your career of choice

Maybe you’re one of those people whose job suddenly went “poof!” Or, all the jobs in your field seemed to evaporate while you were in school. Either way, the lack of jobs doesn’t change your passion for that job. There’s a reason you decided to pursue that particular degree and career.

Figure out what drove you in this direction. Then, start to brainstorm what other careers might require those same skills and passions.

In my case, I loved the way sentences could be put together to tell stories. I loved that words could make readers feel something or teach them something new. And I loved to geek out over proper comma placement and sentence structure.

I didn’t have to be a journalist to maintain my passion for all those things. As a copywriter, I still get to tell different kinds of stories. And I still get the satisfaction of agonizing over every single word and piece of punctuation to craft the perfect sentence.

Identify what you don’t love so much about your career of choice

You already know what you like about this career. That’s the easy part. But it also helps to identify what’s unattractive about the field. You may find it hard to accept its faults, but being realistic about the not-so-great qualities of your career path will help you understand and accept why it’s time to move on.

Maybe you love the good that nonprofits do, but you don’t love the stress and overwork that come along with the lack of funding. Remember, there are for-profit companies that do work you can feel good about and still help people.

Or, you’re a teacher who loves helping children grow and learn. But as you struggle to stay on top of Common Core Standards with the constant threat of layoffs, administrative meetings and paperwork, your motivation is draining. You could consider becoming a child care provider. As a nanny, for example, you’d still be instrumental to children’s learning and development, but without as many of the stressful, non-children-focused aspects of the job.

Of course, I didn’t love the instability of journalism as I was just getting started in the field. That was a big part of my decision to transition to something else.

But I also realized I wasn’t a die-hard journalist. Breaking the news wasn’t my thing. As a student, my concentration had been in magazine journalism and longer-form storytelling. If I had loved the thrill of breaking a story before anyone else did, I might have stuck with journalism and fought tooth-and-nail to find and maintain a job.

I didn’t leave, breathe and die journalism. I lived, breathed and died part of it: the writing and storytelling. Accepting that there were aspects of this field that were not “me” made it easier to leave it behind.

Creep on what your former classmates are doing

You’ve already decided that you need to transition to something else, and now you have a list of the skills and passions you want to take with you to a new role. The next step is to figure out in which direction, exactly, you want to head.

Remember you’re not the only one in this situation. Your classmates are likely going through the same path of exploration as they struggle to find a way to land on their feet without giving up doing what they love.

Now is the perfect time to reconnect and see what they’re up to (or simply creep on their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles to see where they’re working nowadays).

Some will be still trying (and hopefully succeeding) at the original career. Some will have gone back to grad school to start a completely new one. Some will have fallen back on working for their family’s business or might seem like they’re doing nothing much at all.

But there will always be a handful of people who are doing something creative. Use them as inspiration as you decide how to move forward. They may even offer you some connections to get your foot in the door to follow their path.

I saw a lot of classmates who were freelancing for all sorts of interesting publications. Few of them were able to make a full-time salary out of it, but it was a natural direction to put our journalism skills to good use and make a little bit of money while we figured things out.

So I started writing for online publications for low pay and even for free. I began to build a small portfolio of work that any hiring manager could find by Googling my name. My Web writing experience eventually led me to my first junior copywriting position for a digital public relations firm.

Do what you’ve always wanted to do as you figure it out

Not having a stable job is stressful, and it’s even more stressful if you don’t know what job you should even look for.

Try to use this limbo as an opportunity to focus on something you’ve always wanted to explore but never had time to do.

Look for an internship or start volunteering in a field you’ve always been interested in. When a friend was laid off from his job, he wasn’t quite sure what direction he wanted to head in. While he explored his options, he volunteered at a small local brewery because he loved craft beer and wanted to learn more about the industry.

That’s how he discovered his passion. He now works for a growing microbrewery as a brewer and helps with their marketing. He loves his job—much more than the one he was laid off from.

It can be disheartening when you feel like the world is against you and telling you that you picked the wrong career. But just because everything hasn’t gone according to plan doesn’t mean you have to turn your back to the job you love and go in a completely different direction. By following the above tips, you can just reroute your career GPS to arrive at a new, equally fulfilling destination.

Have you had to change the direction of your career due to forces out of your control? How did you do it?

Betsy Mikel has been reading and writing since she was a TV-deprived bookwormy kid. Visit her website and connect with her on Twitter.

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The post What to Do When You Realize You Chose the Wrong Career appeared first on Brazen Life.

As someone who helps people create more fulfilling careers, I often talk with people who are in the midst of taking time off to figure out their next professional step.

What they have to say is pretty surprising.

They expect their time off will be fun and productive, but universally, they’ve found it to be frustrating and confusing. Rarely does it give them the answers they were looking for.

Here are their lessons learned, in their own words:

1. Take time off, but not to figure out what you want to do next

Those who had the best experiences with time off—arriving at clarity about their next step and enjoying the journey along the way—didn’t take time off to figure out what they wanted to do next.

They took time off to rest, nurture themselves and consider the big picture. They took on new hobbies, traveled and spent time with loved ones. After that rejuvenation, a vision for their next chapter arrived.

“I took time off after a loss in the family, but I took guitar lessons, a photography class and went to therapy. My plan was to study for the GMAT, but after a few months off, I decided to start my own business instead. Without the time, I would’ve never had the space to consider a different path.” -Leanne Pittsford

“I usually find that when I need time off, dedicating some time to service activities is useful. That works better for me than over-thinking my next step.” -Bahieh Khamsi

The lesson: Take a break to refresh and get a new perspective, then revisit your questions about your next step.

2. Clarity comes in the doing—not in the reflection or research

“At first, my time off was a really great experience. Lots of enjoyable research, exploring the world, etc. But after a couple of months, I started feeling depressed. I realized that I was continuing to research/think/learn without actually doing anything. I had to accept that I would never have all the information I needed to make the changes I wanted to make, and that I just needed to jump in and figure things out as I went along.” –Gennifer Carragher

The lesson: Structure small experiments to help you jump into the doing. For example, if you want to start a jewelry business, don’t spend months perusing other people’s websites and working on a business plan. Design some jewelry this week, hold a house party sale and see what you learn.

3. Taking time off is extremely difficult, but worth it

A third group took time off to figure things out and found it extremely difficult, but worth it. All of these individuals felt it was the pressure to get to an answer, and to get there through thinking about it, that created the suffering.

“It was one of the hardest and best things I’ve done. I was intentional about waiting on the perfect vision for my next chapter. Just when I thought it would never happen, I woke up one morning, and it was all right there. It was a year’s worth of praying, thinking, talking, exploring, pouting, healing, stomping feet and more waiting. It ended when it was supposed to, and that vision has sustained for the last six years in remarkable and beautiful ways. I’m glad I sat in the brutal wait of it, but it was hard.” – Jill Murphy

“The part that made it painful was the ‘trying to think it out’ part! That’s where the frustration and resistance and shaming myself came in!” –Cath Duncan

“I think the relentless thinking and putting all sorts of time pressures on myself was what was causing all that stress and anxiety.” –Elif Deniz Ozdemir

The big lessons?

Think twice before assuming that time off is going to bring the solution to your career questions. Do you already know your next step or answer in your heart? If so, get brave and go for it.

And if the answer to that question is truly no, beware of thinking that weeks and weeks of reflection and research will help. Two other effective approaches for determining your next big step are 1) taking a true break focused on rejuvenation and relaxation, and then turning back to your career questions after the break, and 2) experimenting in micro-ways with different potential directions—jumping into the doing.

What’s your experience with taking time off to figure out your next step?

Tara Sophia Mohr is the founder of the global Playing Big leadership program for women and the author of the free 10 Rules for Brilliant Women Workbook. Visit www.taramohr.com to learn more. 

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The post Before Taking Time Off to Figure Out Your Next Step, Read This appeared first on Brazen Life.

Who is Hasnain Zaidi? Just a young man who spent a few years after college working for the prestigious (and well-paying) management consulting firm Bain & Company, only to decide he’d rather do something more rewarding and creative with his life. So he left his cushy corporate job to work the burrito assembly line at Chipotle…and eventually wound up opening his own restaurant.

As reported in AOL Jobs:

Zaidi is one of a growing army of young people who are defecting from high-paying jobs in finance and consulting to pursue more passionate work. There’s Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton, who were business and finance consultants, before they launched the gourmet ketchup company Sir Kensington’s. And Benjamin Benton, who left his hedge fund job to start a fashion line. There’s even a website, Escape the City, that helps corporate and finance types find more fulfilling employ, founded by Rob Symington and Dom Jackman, former Ernst & Young consultants.

…”I think they realized that our generation is a different beast,” Zaidi said about his parents’ response to his career change. “It’s not get in at the entry level and work 20 years to make your way to the top. It’s much more about blazing your own path and finding what’s going to be fulfilling to you.”

You can check out the full article, including a Huffington Post Live interview with Zaidi, here.

What do you think about Zaidi’s radical career change? Would you give up a high-paying job for more “real-world” skills you could apply to your passion?

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So, how can you hack the system? Find careers with short training time or jobs you can prepare for while holding down a day job. Check out these seven quick-change careers:

1. Web Developer

Web developers design and create websites.

What you need: You don’t need a formal degree in computer science to nab a gig in this industry. If you’re interested in sticking your toes in the coding waters, there are free massive open online courses, like Udacity’s Intro to Computer Science, and online classes (Codecademy.com is a favorite) you can try.

If you’re ready to commit 100 percent, consider an intensive boot camp, like those offered by Code Fellows, which include a money-back guarantee if you don’t land a $60k job offer.

Average salary: $76,000

2. Patient Advocate

Patient advocates help medical patients navigate the healthcare system.

What you need: Right now, there aren’t any national standards to become a patient advocate. There are increasing numbers of certificate programs, but in-the-trenches knowledge of hospitals and insurance companies can also get you started. If you have a background in business, healthcare, social work or have even navigated the healthcare industry for a loved one, you’re on the right track.

Average salary: $35,000

3. Social Media Manager

Social media managers engage customers and raise brand awareness by creating active social media profiles on platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

What you need: Since social media is an emerging field, even the experts have only been doing it for a few years. There are a couple of great books on social media marketing that can help you learn the basics—check out The Zen of Social Media Marketing. Consider taking a few classes or a short certificate course in marketing to brush up your communication skills. And, of course, stay up to date on new trends and technology.

Average salary: Varies widely

4. Massage Therapist

Massage therapists manipulate muscles to help clients get rid of aches and pains.

What you need: Massage therapists usually complete a program that requires around 500 hours of study and experience. However, requirements vary by state, so check out your local standards before committing to a class. Preparing for this career can be a good side project while holding down a day job.

Interested? Check out this list of massage programs near you.

Average salary: $35,000

5. Energy Consultant

Energy consultants (also known as energy auditors) inspect buildings and homes to help save energy by finding areas of inefficiency.

What you need: For this job, engineering or construction know-how is helpful, but certainly not essential. You should get certified, which usually involves a six-week training course.

Average salary: $65,000

6. Pharmacy Technician, Medical Assistant or Dental Assistants

Whether you’re dispensing prescriptions in a pharmacy, performing clinical tasks in a hospital or processing an X-ray in a dentist’s office, these three jobs keep the healthcare system running smoothly.

What you need: The education requirements for these three careers vary from state to state, and range from on-the-job training to certificates. For example, dental assistants are usually required to take a one-year certificate program. If you’re interested in healthcare, these can be great positions to get your foot in the door—without breaking the bank on student loans.

Average salary: $28,000 – $34,000 (depending on specialty)

7. Technical Writer

Technical writers take complicated information and put it into easy-to-understand language for instructions, user manuals and more.

What you need: Technical writers come from all kinds of backgrounds. You usually need a bachelor’s degree, but it can be in almost any area. More importantly, you need to be knowledgeable about the field you write about—whether it’s Web development, engineering or healthcare.

Jump into tech writing by taking on related tasks at your current job or brushing up writing skills with some college courses. Also check out I’d Rather Be Writing, a great blog dedicated to tech writers and new trends.

Average salary: $63,000

Are you looking for a quick-change career? Tell us your plans in the comments.

All salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a site that helps people discover strong careers and connect with the right education to achieve their goals. Follow her on Twitter at @InsideJobs!

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The post 7 Careers You Can Switch To Without Earning Another Degree appeared first on Brazen Life.

One, it’s still a miserable economy, and the competition for sought-after jobs has risen to bloodsport levels of cruelty.

Two, when we’re 18, most of us have a pretty lousy sense of self-knowledge and limited wisdom about what careers actually entail and how to build one.

Three, grad school is expensive. Even if you’re fully funded, you’ll need to bust your butt to cover living expenses because you’ll be giving up whatever salary you could be racking up if you weren’t studying.

Put these together, and you begin to see the faint outlines of a common conundrum. Many young people flail in their early careers or are shocked by the realities they face—and by their own lack of preparation. Going back to school once you have some idea of what you’re facing (and who you are) can be tempting, but it’s a big step.

If you’re thinking of rebooting your struggling career with a trip back to get another degree, consider these questions first:

1. Am I hiding?

Brazen co-founder Penelope Trunk is one of the most eloquent (and outspoken) voices calling out many trips to grad school for what they are—a way to avoid the uncertainty and unpleasantness of an early career. But grad school won’t help you discover what you want to do, and, unless it’s something very specific like medicine or engineering, it probably won’t help you get there. Here’s a typically forthright passage from Penelope:

“If you don’t know what to do, and you go to grad school to buy time, and then you figure out what you want to do, you will always have to answer the question, why grad school? It will be hard to come up with an answer that doesn’t reveal that you went back to school so you didn’t have to deal with adult problems. Better to flail in the work world and learn what you like than put it off.”

Take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself if you really just don’t want to send one more resume out into the unresponsive void or take one more unpaid internship. If you’re looking to hide out, reconsider sending off those applications and look for other alternatives.

2. Am I wearing rose-colored glasses?

And if you’re the dreamer type who’s driven by a passion for a subject that overrides more “sensible” career considerations? “If worse comes to worst, I’ll teach!” you tell yourself. Just know that only one in four grad students end up with a tenure track job, and 54 percent report feeling so depressed they have a hard time functioning. Be sure you’re as passionate as you think you are.

“Test your interest first,” suggests grad school returnee Andrew Price on GOOD recently. How? “If you’re considering culinary school, for example, maybe volunteer in a restaurant or bakery or construct some sort of cooking curriculum for yourself first. In other words, find a low-commitment version of the thing you may want to do and do that first.”

3. Am I prepared for the lifestyle change?

Will it bother you if your friends outside of academia rack up all the trappings of success while you argue with your roommates about who ate the last pack of Ramen? Because grad school will set you back financially.

“Going back to graduate school, especially after you’ve been in the workforce for a while, will put you behind your peers. For a while, you won’t be able to afford the same things your friends can, and you’ll be stuck in the library on the weekends, especially if you need to hold a full-time job at the same time. This can be jarring if you’ve been used to corporate life, and it’s something you should consider,” a recent post by The Pyramid Consulting Group warns.

If you’re expecting to keep up with your usual routine of dining out or weekly pedicures while you’re in grad school, you’re going to get yourself into the unenviable position of carrying a humongous debt burden (unless you have very generous support from somewhere).

Get real about what your life will be like or risk saddling yourself with the kind of financial liabilities that will seriously limit your choices after you graduate (forget that stint as a low-paid anything).

4. Which of my existing skills can I leverage?

Okay, so you’ve got your financial ducks in a row and you’re sure you’re doing this for the right reasons. You have a concrete sense of where you want to go and a solid idea of how another stint in school can get you there. How do you succeed? A little reflection can reveal ways your seemingly unrelated experience can benefit you.

GOOD’s Price explains, “I studied philosophy in college; now I’m doing computer science. What could be more different, right? One’s all about logical reasoning and working with abstractions and uncovering inconsistencies and the other…. Well, the other is fundamentally also about those things. Actually, the differences are sort of superficial… Even if you’re going from medieval history to astrophysics, there will be skills that transfer. At the end of the day, there are a few really important general cognitive tools—conceptual analysis, facility with language, mathematical reasoning, creative thinking—and most of them are useful in most contexts.”

Jessica Stillman is a freelance writer based in London. She writes a daily column for Inc.com, writes for Women 2.0 and has blogged for CBS MoneyWatch and GigaOM, among others.

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The post 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Go Back to School to Change Careers appeared first on Brazen Life.

With all the uncertainty, stress and fear that come with the territory, you might be tempted to stay in a less-than-stellar job. But here’s the good news: you can take the leap to a better gig without having your head explode.

Here are 10 tips and tricks to make a successful career change and keep your cool:

1. Facts: get some

When it comes to a career move, ignorance isn’t bliss—it’s anxiety.

Perform due diligence research before committing to a change and you’ll reduce your fear of the unknown to a dull roar. Get online. Talk with people in the field. Try a job shadow. You want to start a new career with your eyes open to the industry realities. Research is your friend.

You will encounter roadblocks and unforeseen sinkholes. But a solid backbone of data and information puts you in a better (and calmer!) place to deal with the unexpected.

2. Question fear

Fear isn’t all bad. It can help you hone your ideas, find flaws in your thinking and prepare you for your next step. Try this exercise to transform anxiety into a productive tool:

1. Write down any and all fears you have. For instance, you might be worried that changing careers will be too expensive.
2. Next, turn each fear into a “how” question. For example, “How am I going to pay for my career change?”

This process turns undefined fears into actionable problems that can be broken down into doable chunks.

3. Avoid getting trapped in the passion puzzle

The desire to find your “perfect” career path can be totally paralyzing. But according to Cal Newport, author of Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You, we can all just calm down:

Research shows that the traits that lead people to love their work are general, and can be found in many different career paths. They include things like autonomy, a sense of impact and mastery, creativity, and respect and recognition for your abilities. Once you recognize that these traits have little to do with following a pre-existing passion and can be cultivated in many different fields, you can safely abandon the myth that there’s a single right job waiting for you.

4. Practice persistence (in a smart way)

“Persistence is the number one reason for our success” according to entrepreneur Joe Kraus. Most people wouldn’t disagree, but you don’t want to beat your head against a wall, either.

Reaching for absolutely impossible goals—the ones that no amount of hard work can achieve—will guarantee failure. Develop the savvy to differentiate between a temporary barrier and an immovable wall, and you’ll greatly increase your chances of having a calm career transition.

5. Don’t stick your head in the financial sand

“When you start over in a new career, you need to be in good financial health to help smooth your transition,” says Kerry Hannon, a career change expert. “This allows you to try new things without stressing over the initial salary.”

In other words, don’t ignore the numbers in your bank account! Start by creating a basic budget (try a tool like Mint.com) to get a clear picture of what’s within reach. If you’re going back to school, check out what financial aid offerings and tax breaks might be available to you.

6. Run to the end of the block

Running a 10k doesn’t start with a to-do list that says “#1: Run a 10k.”  It doesn’t even start with “#1: Run one mile.” It starts with “#1: Run to the end of the block.”

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by long-term plans, focus on small projects instead. What are the steps you can take today, tomorrow and the next day to reach your goals? By taking action each day, you can feel more in control and confident.

7. Sweat it out

Working out is usually the last thing you want to do when you’re stressed. But it pays to prioritize a sweat session. Studies have repeatedly proven that upping your heart rate can do miracles for your mood.

No need to become an exercise junkie; even mild exercise (like a 20-minute walk) can boost your endorphin and serotonin levels. This lowers your stress, increases your ability to concentrate and acts as a natural antidepressant. Consider it time well spent.

8. Build relationships

Relationships are at the heart of happiness. “A lot of research shows that higher satisfaction is achieved when there are friendships at work,” Degrees of Transition founder Lea McLeod points out. In fact, many studies have shown that relationships are one of the only external factors that can significantly improve your happiness quotient.

During a career change, your personal support network will become the cheerleaders who keep you going and keep you sane. Your professional network can also become a huge source of energy and advice when the going gets rough.

9. Call a timeout

Career transitions require a lot of hustle. But running yourself into the ground won’t help anyone. Be sure to make time (at least a little bit) to really switch your brain off. Turn your attention to the other aspects of your life—family, fitness, fun—that help you stay happy and healthy.

10. Carve your own yardstick for success

The most traditional measures of success—money, power, fame—are all well and good. But they aren’t the whole picture.

What do you really want? When you picture yourself as a successful person, what do you see? What parts of your life matter most to your version of success?

If you can determine your personal definition of a successful life, you can then design a career change plan that will get you what you really want. It may take longer to get there, but meeting your own standards—rather than somebody else’s—is a formula for lasting satisfaction.

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a site that helps people discover strong careers and connect with the right education to achieve their goals. Follow her on Twitter at @InsideJobs!

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The post 10 Tips for Changing Careers Without Losing Your Mind appeared first on Brazen Life.

Many of us are working jobs we don’t like. What’s worse, many people fall into the trap of staying in these ill-fitting positions or industries for years, and by the time they start to think seriously about leaving, it seems like it’s “too late.” They think they’re too old to start over and build up enough of a reputation in an entirely different field.

But whether you’re 25 or 55 when you come to the decision to make a change, there are things you can do to make sure that your transition will be a successful one.

Here’s how to get started on your big change:

Seek out happiness

That’s at the heart of this, isn’t it? The first question anyone looking to change careers should ask is at once simple and incredibly difficult: what do you want to do?

If you already know the answer to this question, congratulations, because you’re ahead of the game.

If you don’t know, think long and hard about what makes you happy and explore whether any of those things could become a viable career. Still not sure? Look into taking a few adult education courses that interest you at your local community college and see if something stands out.

Take stock of yourself

After you’ve come up with a few potentially interesting career shifts, look inward and try to be honest about your skills and abilities. Sure, becoming a professional daredevil sounds cool, but is it really right for someone with a fear of heights and poor balance?

Cross ideas off the “dream” list until you find those that seem plausible in terms of your abilities and interests.

Learn before you leap

In changing careers, age matters a lot less than how much you know about the industry you’re looking to move into. The smartest way to change your career is to spend as much time as you can researching and planning how to make that leap before you actually do it, so you’ll be better able to deal with the realities of your new role and improvise effectively when the unexpected occurs.

If possible, take classes for free using your company’s professional development programs that are geared towards doing the kind of work that really interests you.

Build with a safety net

Doing something completely different from your current career can be terrifying, which is why you should try to ensure it’s the right move while you’re still getting a regular weekly paycheck from your current job.

If you can freelance in the industry you’re considering, seek out a few clients for night and weekend work to create a portfolio and work on forging long-term relationships. Volunteering is another way to get experience in your new career field. And if you can’t find a way to get hands-on experience, see if you can find an opportunity to shadow someone who has the job you want or at least take them to coffee to learn more about their day-to-day experiences.

Put a financial plan in place

Regardless of how much building you do ahead of time, it’s doubtful that you’ll find instant financial success in your newly chosen career. In fact, it’s likely you’ll have to take a pay cut.

Because of this, you may be tempted to back down from making the change because you can’t imagine living with less money, even if it’s just temporary. However, if you make a comprehensive budget of what you’re really spending, there’s a great chance that you’ll see things that you can trim without feeling like you’re losing out on too much.

Whatever you do, prepare for the worst by making sure you have sufficient savings to pay for at least six months of living expenses. Figure out how long that money will last if you’re only earning 80 percent of your current income. Or 50. Or 25. It may seem horribly depressing to look at numbers like this, but knowing you can likely survive for several years making less money can take a lot of the pressure off and let you focus on achieving your dream.

Redefine success

Finally, don’t forget to focus on what you want. Is it a Scrooge-McDuck-like money bin where you can swim through your cash? Is it fame and respect? Is it more time with your family and work you love doing every day? All of those are equally viable desires.

The next time you start thinking it’s too late and finding reasons to put off the switch for even longer, think about this: every second you spend in a career you don’t like makes it that much harder to finally take the plunge and seek out something that will truly make you happy.

Patrick Del Rosario is a Filipino business and career blogger. He is part of Open Colleges Blog. If you want to feature his writings on your site, connect with him at Google+ or drop a line at patrick (at) oc.edu.au.

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The post How to Change Careers Even If You Think It’s Too Late appeared first on Brazen Life.

We’ve rounded up 15 jobs in high-growth areas that don’t require a PhD—in fact, most of these careers require less than two years of training. Reinvention isn’t the smoothest road, but if 2013 is your year to start fresh, it’s time to get pumped.

Start brainstorming with these quick-change career ideas:

1. Social Media Manager

Getting yelled at for updating your Pinterest board? Not at this job. As a social media manager, you understand how to use social platforms to build brands, expand markets and keep your clients connected to the latest trends. This field is new, so in-the-trenches expertise can make you an authority.

Average Salary: $23,000 – $86,000
Job Outlook: +14 percent

2. Convention Planner

If logistics is your game, planning conventions—from scouting out spaces to wrangling transportation—could be a good fit. Most convention planners have a bachelor’s degree, but most of your job-specific training will take place on the clock. This field is a great choice if you have a background in business or food but need a change of pace.

Average Salary: $27,000 – $77,000
Job Outlook: +44 percent

3. Energy Consultant

Energy consultants, also known as energy auditors, help protect the environment, increase efficiency and combat waste by inspecting buildings and homes for air leakages. This career is part of the rise in green jobs, so while the specific job outlook is currently unknown, it’s a strong bet that this career path will be in high demand for years to come. And while an associate’s degree can help, most energy consultants only need to complete a short certificate program to get going.

Average Salary: $34,000 – $107,000
Job Outlook: N/A

4. Interpreter

In our increasingly globalized world, cross-linguistic communication is more important than ever. The most important requirement to be an interpreter is total language fluency. Having a bachelor’s degree in your language of choice is a good idea, but many companies will provide on-the-job training if your language skills are up to scratch.

Average Salary: $23,000 – $86,000
Job Outlook: +42 percent

5. Yoga Teacher

If you’re looking for a more harmonious job, this career path could provide the right balance. As a yoga teacher, you guide your clients toward proper technique, helping students achieve physical strength and mental calmness. If you already practice yoga, it takes 200 hours of additional training to become a certified teacher.

Average Salary: $17,000 – $63,000
Job Outlook: +24 percent

6. Travel Guide

Looking for more adventure in your life? As a travel or tour guide, you get to share your passion for a city, country or historical monument with fellow travelers. You don’t necessarily need formal training for this job. You do need an entrepreneurial streak, a grasp on local culture and a high level of people skills.

Average Salary: $17,000 – $56,000
Job Outlook: +20 – 28 percent

7. Web Developer

If you’re a computer geek who dabbles in code, diving into website development full-time could be the right way to get a fresh start. Depending on where you want to work, education requirements vary widely. If you already have a tech background, you can start with online courses or a program certificate. Code newbies can begin with a programming course at a local college or through an online coding class.

Average Salary: $43,000 – $120,000
Job Outlook: +22 percent

8. Commercial Driver

As a long-distance truck driver, you’ll have the open road ahead of you and no boss looking over your shoulder. Abide by the laws of the road, get a commercial driver’s license, take a short course and you’re on your way.

Average Salary: $25,000 – $57,000
Job Outlook: +21 percent

9. Personal Trainer

Part motivator, part Energizer Bunny, personal trainers help gym-goers tone up, lose extra flab and actually fulfill their New Year’s resolutions. This hands-on job can be a good fit if you’re looking for work that will keep you active and let you connect with lots of people. Training can take a few months or up to two years based on where you choose to work, so do some research at your local gym to figure out your best option.

Average Salary: $17,000 – $63,000
Job Outlook: +24 percent

10. PR Specialist

PR specialists are all about good press. You’re in charge of creating and promoting a positive image for a company by building strong relationship with the media. If you’ve got a background in media or communications, you can apply your skills and get on-the-job training for a fast-paced career revamp.

Average Salary: $31,000 – $95,000
Job Outlook: +21 percent

11. Licensed Practical Nurse

There’s big demand for medical careers, but if you’re not ready to commit to the 10 years of training required to become a doctor, there are much faster routes into the industry—like becoming an LPN. With just one year of training, you can don your scrubs and start making a difference in your patients’ lives. Plus, this career offers advantages—like good benefits, flexible scheduling and non-traditional hours—that can make starting over a more enticing idea.

Average Salary: $30,000 – $56,000
Job Outlook: +22 percent

12. Mediator

“We can work it out” is the mantra of mediators. In this role, you bring a little more peace to the world by helping clashing parties come to a compromise without going to court. And as the cost of court battles continues to skyrocket, your skills will be in demand by people and companies turning to alternative resolution solutions. Start with a conflict resolution course at your local community college.

Average Salary: $31,000 – $116,000
Job Outlook: +14 percent

13. Crime Scene Tech

Collecting and cataloging criminal evidence is not for people who get queasy at the sight of blood, but this job can be an engaging challenge for the right person. If you’re looking for a job that will use your science and sleuthing skills—and get you out from behind your desk—this could be a good match. Training requirements are all across the board, so check with your local police branch to nail down education details.

Average Salary: $33,000 – $83,000
Job Outlook: +19 percent

14. Nuclear Medicine Tech

This job is way more than just a cool title. As a nuclear medicine tech, you use radioactive substances to help diagnose and treat patients. To break into this industry, you only need an associate’s degree (in nuclear medicine) and a dedication to good patient care.

Average Salary: $49,000 – $92,000
Job Outlook: +19 percent

15. Entrepreneur

What better way to start fresh than by starting something completely new? Founding a company is a long and intense road full of late nights, big risks and exhilarating deal-making. But if you hit the sweet spot where luck, persistence and dedication come together, you could create your very own dream job.

Average Salary: Varies
Job Outlook: N/A

Salary and job outlook data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a site that helps people discover strong careers and find the education to make it happen. For more career change advice, check out 7 Steps to Prepare for a Successful Switch.

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The post Reinvent Yourself: Top 15 Jobs for Starting Over in 2013 appeared first on Brazen Life.

Considering the state of the employment market in recent years, having to pick between two jobs is a good problem to have. But choosing to stay put or jump ship can present quite a conundrum. After all, your decision will have lasting career repercussions.

Carefully consider the following questions as you weigh the pros and cons:

1. Am I taking a good job or just running away from a bad one?

Many workers who felt stuck in less-than-enjoyable jobs during the downturn are now exploring their options. Some are heading for exits the first chance they get without much reflection.

Big mistake. To make an informed decision, you need to know what appeals to you about the new opportunity—not just what you don’t like about your current company.

Take a long, hard look at your motives before you leap. If you primarily view the new job as a lifeboat that will enable you to escape the one you hold now, you might want to keep searching. In short, don’t settle. The goal should be to find a role you’re truly excited about.

2. Do I know what I’m getting myself into?

Receiving a job offer is flattering, and employers obviously accentuate the positives when they’re trying to recruit you. As such, it’s easy to form idyllic notions about the wonderful situation you’ll walk into. But do your visions of a pleasant work environment, rewarding projects and an overly appreciative supervisor dovetail with reality?

While the grass may indeed be greener on the other side, it still pays to do your homework. Hunt for as much insight as you can find on the firm’s corporate culture, financial stability and leadership. Thoroughly researching the Internet and tapping into your own network can help you understand what it’s like to work for the company or your future boss. If questions arise as you’re mulling over the offer, don’t be shy about asking the hiring manager for clarification or more information.

3. Will I be paid what I’m really worth?

Don’t make the mistake of only comparing the salary offer to what you presently earn. Your paycheck isn’t necessarily the best benchmark. You might be underpaid now and not realize it, which means you could still end up underpaid even after accepting a new position.

Research the going rate for your position, given your experience level and geographic region. Plenty of resources can help you with this, including the newly released 2013 Salary Guides from Robert Half. The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics is another great resource.

4. What does the total compensation package look like?

Yes, salary matters. A lot. But don’t fall into the trap of focusing solely on that one element. A better benefits package, more generous retirement savings plan and bigger bonus opportunities, for example, can boost your bottom line.

Likewise, factors such as extra vacation time, telecommuting options and a shorter commute can enhance your work-life balance. While these perks won’t necessarily fatten your wallet, they could make you a happier person.

5. Which company offers more room to grow and advance?

At the end of the day, only one person is responsible for your career: you. But it’s certainly beneficial to have an employer that supports your professional development. Options like formal mentoring programs, training, tuition reimbursement and opportunities to attend industry conferences can keep you moving forward professionally.

Ideally, you want to work for a company that is committed to helping you grow your skills while growing with their organization. Be strategic and think long-term when comparing your current company against a potential employer. Which one offers a more clearly defined career path? Pay and benefits are important, but professional development and advancement potential should also be priorities.

6. Am I letting fear drive my decision?

Just as it’s unwise to impulsively leave a job for the wrong reasons, don’t allow fear of the unfamiliar to hold you back from accepting a new one. Clinging to the comfort of the status quo is like playing not to lose.

The bottom line is that changing jobs always carries some degree of risk. But if you’ve thoroughly analyzed the situation and your gut is telling you to make a move, trust your intuition. At some point, you need to stop second-guessing yourself and embrace the new opportunity. As the sage humorist Will Rogers once said, “You’ve got to go out on a limb sometimes because that’s where the fruit is.”

Paul McDonald is senior executive director with Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm. Over the course of his nearly 30-year career with the company, he has spoken extensively on employment and management issues based on his work with thousands of companies and job seekers.

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The post Stay or Go? 6 Questions to Consider Before Changing Jobs appeared first on Brazen Life.

How many years until you should ditch a job? It’s a tough question.

If you leave a new job within a year, you risk being labeled flaky, especially if it ends up being a pattern (like staggering between three jobs in as many years). On the other hand, if you hang on too long, you risk being labelled a slug. Slug, as in going nowhere interesting, fast.

After the three-year mark, you start getting that creeping sensation down your spine. Then, after about five years, you know the pressure’s on. This is particularly true for software engineers and others who live at the bleeding edge: holding on to your current advantage in a given technology will put you at a disadvantage when that technology goes obsolete.

You’re ahead of the game at this point—you’ve shown that you’re stable, and at the same time, by sniffing around for other opportunities after three to five years, you show you’re active enough to keep an eye out for new challenges.

But looking for a job takes energy. Your boss likes you. You’re comfortable. Do you have it in you for a search?

Setting the energy dial to low can actually work in your favor. Playing hard-to-get is a good tactic in employment, just as in romance. It’s better to be the hunted than the hunter.

Consider these four reasons to open yourself up to job offers:

1. Your job might not be as secure as you think

Building security and loyalty by staying at a job for a long time is something from another generation. Particularly if you are a technologist, your job might actually get less secure over time as your outdated skills reach obsolescence. But if you leverage your demonstrated abilities in one technology while it’s still hot, employers will be glad to have you help them as they too move to the latest thing.

2. Variety demonstrates growth

Companies like Microsoft like to lay off people who are too “long at level.” Four years on a job is around where the value tops out. Having some variety in your background shows that you are staying active.

3. You risk burnout

You’ll likely burn yourself out at your job if you hang on too long. Luckily, burnout can be good for you—if you use the burnout in one job to motivate yourself into finding to find a better one.

4. Most significant career boosts happen when you change jobs

All it takes is a single good employer who thinks you can fill bigger shoes, and you’ve stepped up.

So scratch that little itch that’s telling you to get yourself moving. Relax; experienced pros like you are in demand. Just open yourself up to the possibilities, and you can take your career in a new direction.

Josh Fox has long wondered why experienced software engineers stick so long at one job. He  helped create FiveYearItch.com to help them receive job offers that meet their stated requirements.

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The post 4 Reasons to Leave Your Job Even if You’re Comfortable appeared first on Brazen Life.

Change is in the office air. A recent Monster.com poll revealed that more than half of U.S. workers want to change jobs.

If you’re one of these would-be career changers, you’ve probably got a good reason for switching paths—needing more satisfaction, less stress, a new challenge, more flexibility…the list goes on. But no matter why you’re changing, chances are you’re looking for a job that gives you something your current career can’t—something a little different.

So to jump start your transition, here are the perks and quirks of seven top jobs for career changers. Would you change it up for one of these careers?

1. For less stress, become a dietitian

As a dietitian, you introduce clients to whole new worlds of flavor. Using your expertise on healthy meals, you guide others toward the best nutritional choices. Not only can this work be personally rewarding; according to a 2012 CareerCast survey, dietitian is one of the top 10 least stressful careers.

Average salary: $33,000 – $75,000
Job growth: 20 percent by 2020 (faster than average)

2. For more variety, become a consultant

Consultants are paid to let people pick their brains. So if you’ve got experience in a specific industry or you’ve mastered a specific skill (like public speaking), a consulting position could be right up your alley. Variety will be the spice of your life as you advise on different projects, with different people, at different companies.

Average salary: $34,000 – $107,000
Job growth: Varies by field

3. For more creativity, become a graphic designer

If you’ve got an artistic flare and an eye for composition, the world of graphic design offers many different areas to explore. You could work on advertising campaigns, print publications, websites, packages and even films. Competition can be fierce, but your creative muscles are sure to get a workout.

Average salary: $26,000 – $77,000
Job growth: 13 percent by 2020 (about average)

4. For more stability, become an accountant

Love the calm of crunching numbers? Want security in the knowledge that your career will pretty much always be in demand? Check out accounting. In this job, you use your math skills, your calculator and your knowledge of financial regulations to help clients keep as much of their money as possible.

Average salary: $39,000 – $107,000
Job growth: 16 percent by 2020 (faster than average)

5. For less routine, become a hair stylist

If you really want to break out of corporate culture, renting your own hair salon chair is a bold option. Once you’re wielding the scissors with style, you can have the freedom and flexibility to set your own hours, interact with a wide variety of clients and get creative with your clipping.

This job is physically demanding and it doesn’t usually come with a huge paycheck, but if you want a career that’s flexible, social and creative, it could be worth it.

Average salary: $16,000 – $42,000
Job growth: 14 percent by 2020 (about average)

6. For more meaning, become a teacher

Whether you’re interested in a traditional teaching role (like elementary school teacher) or a more out-side-the-box option (like yoga instructor), imparting knowledge to students is not easy work. But at the end of the day, your influence can make a huge difference in the lives of those you work with.

Average salary: $35,000 – $83,000
Job growth: Varies by field

7. For more impact, become a nurse

Nursing is an in-demand, well-paying, personally rewarding career track with good benefits and non-traditional hours. No wonder it’s a popular choice for career changers. Plus, there’s a range of different education tracks to train for this career. If you want work where you can really see the results of your labor, nursing could be a great move.

Average salary: $44,000 – $95,000
Job growth: 22-26 percent by 2020 (much faster than average)

Are you thinking about a career change? Why?

Salary and job outlook data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a site that helps people discover careers they’ll love and find the education to make it happen. For more career change advice, check out 7 Steps to Prepare for a Successful Switch.

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The post Looking for Something Different? 7 Top Jobs for Career Changers appeared first on Brazen Life.

We’re told from the time we’re born that we can grow up to be anything we want. Our parents, teachers and guardians instill the belief that the sky’s the limit and anything is possible.

Yet as we age and go on to high school, college and finally the real world, our options slowly begin to seem fewer and farther between.

But what changed between now and then?

Are we different people? Did our hopes, dreams and priorities change? Or maybe we just got comfortable?

For most of us, it’s a combination of all of these things. We grew up, got a dose of reality and opted for the safer, more conventional route. Sure, when you were little, all of those famed “roads less traveled” didn’t sound too bad—especially if all of those great things were waiting for you at the end. But now that you’re out on your own and sort of know what these roads entail, they seem less than welcoming.

So instead, you opt to settle for mediocrity. You somehow convince yourself that the responsible adult thing to do is stick with it and ignore all of those passions you once had. You convince yourself to accept your new reality.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t once think that way, too.

Looking back, I couldn’t feel more ridiculous about just how wrong I was.

I had a nice, well-paying PR job with a thriving company. It offered competitive benefits, plenty of vacation and countless other perks I could list off—yet, I was miserable and dreaded going to work every day.

Finally, one day, I could no longer take it and decided to make the leap. I was officially going to leave the soul-sucking job and chase my dreams—a decision I likened to leaving the respectable, proper man everyone wants you to marry for money to be with the love-struck hippie who lacks direction. It might not have looked like the logical choice, but for me it FELT right, and my heart was happy.

But getting to that point was definitely not easy. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions filled with input from everyone from my mother to the mailman and decisions I never thought I’d have to make. So if you’re considering making a similar leap, you need to be ready for what might come your way.

Here are three things you’ll likely encounter on your journey:

1. People will think you’re crazy… and then tell you why

After I put in my two weeks’ notice, I felt like I had a sign on my back that read “Please come tell me why I’m making the biggest mistake of my life.”

At first I was annoyed by the comments and reacted defensively, explaining the reasons for my decision, until I realized I owed these people no explanation. After all, it was MY life, not theirs.

While some people offered honest, genuine input and advice, the majority seemed to voice their opinions out of fear and misunderstanding—which is to be expected since, in their eyes, I was rocking the boat and going against the grain.

So when or if this happens to you, take it all in stride. You might have to force a smile and feign politeness, but keep your thoughts to yourself and your eyes on the prize.

2. You will feel exhausted

Making a big career change is no small task, especially if your new pursuit is in a completely different field. Odds are you will find yourself at the bottom of the workplace food chain, but don’t let that discourage you.

You might have to put in extra hours and sacrifice your social life for a bit, but it will be worth it. We all have those moments where we long for our old schedule, but remind yourself of the agony and general blah-ness that came with it, and you’ll persevere. As they say: no pain, no gain.

3. You will face new challenges

With this change will likely come unfamiliar challenges. They might even be a bit uncomfortable and scary. But rather than cowering from these challenges, try to embrace them. They are new opportunities that will be the foundation of your growth and change.

Be prepared and willing to fail. After all, you didn’t come all this way to back down, now, did you?

Maria Rainier is a devoted blogger who writes on topics concerning higher education and technology. She has her finger on the pulse of the online education industry, and she delights in writing about the benefits of online bachelor’s degrees in our digital society.

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The post 3 Things to Be Ready for When You Chase Your Career Dreams appeared first on Brazen Life.

It was everything I imagined being a professional journalist would be.

My first job out of college was officially covering two small towns outside Burlington, Vermont, but I really wrote about the entire state. It was heaven. Gruff editors hollering over the muffled voices on the police scanner provided my daily soundtrack. I was sure this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

But, unlike Allie Gray Freeland’s assertion that your first job out of college is your most important, my first job actually had little bearing on what I do, what I earn and how I conduct myself a decade later.

Your first job out of college doesn’t really matter to your career big picture. It simply pays off the work and decisions you’ve already made. Here’s what really matters: when you undergo your first career change. That’s when you’ll learn the most about yourself.

Most likely, you’ll change careers at some point in your life. (Although not as many times as you may think—the stats you hear about people changing careers 5-7 times in a lifetime are usually attributed to the Bureau Of Labor statistics, which promises they never actually calculated that.)

Here are four big lessons you’ll learn when changing careers:

1. You’re more than you went to school for.

I self-identified as a journalist in every facet of my life. It was what I did 24 hours a day. I was a journalist on the job, when out with friends and at dinner parties.

When the industry tanked and started making changes contrary to the core values I got into the field to pursue, I jumped ship. I felt sick to my stomach in job interviews just thinking about leaving my career, but I knew it was the right decision.

And here’s what I realized: you learn a lot about yourself when you untangle yourself from your career.

While you should make a change if you’re not happy in your current job, turning what you love into a career isn’t always healthy.

Find a job that fulfills you. And love the life you live.

2. Your imperfect job background is valuable.

Before my interview for a job in a new industry, I had to Google industry jargon from the job description. My boss knew I didn’t have a traditional background for a marketing manager, and she looked at the bigger picture.

Whatever you do, you have skills that extend well beyond the job you do.

Be bold. Be proud of what you know.

You will bring things to the table that your coworkers, who might be on a more direct career path, have not encountered.

Let me tell you: having to knock on the door of a recent widow and ask to borrow their favorite photograph of the person they lost hours before makes everyday work stresses not that difficult to tackle. You, too, have something like this in your background, something that makes you more valuable than you realize.

3. You have a lot to learn.

College has prepared you for your career. Once you’re ready for a career change, you will have spent countless hours absorbed in your industry. You will have succeeded. You will have failed and learned from those failures.

After 10 years of working in your industry, you’ll finally be comfortable doing it.

So making that career switch will be refreshing. Scary, but refreshing. All that amazing learning you underwent when you fell in love with your first career starts anew. You begin discovering. And you will get better and better.

4. There’s more to life than work.

I’m not going to credit my marriage to my career change, but I can’t say I’d have the same relationship had I not changed careers.

When you’re not truly married to your job, you open your heart more to the world around you. It’s not to say that if you’re work-obsessed, you don’t get joy from other things. But when your career doesn’t define you, it’s easier to find joy in other parts of life.

In my new career, I actually put in more hours on the job than I did as a journalist. But it doesn’t consume me like my first career did. It doesn’t define me.

I love being a husband. A father. A homeowner. A neighbor. A friend.

Are you considering changing careers? Tell us in the comments what you’re struggling with.

Andy Netzel (@Andy216) is a recovering journalist who loved his first job at The Burlington Free Press in Vermont. He now shapes the brand voice, directs social media and manages marketing pieces for a national retailer.

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The post 4 Unexpected Lessons You’ll Learn From Changing Careers appeared first on Brazen Life.

If you’re less than thrilled with your job, you’re probably looking for a way out. But with today’s job market, it may seem impossible to make a career change.

I know I thought it was nearly a year ago when I was stuck in a teaching career I just didn’t find rewarding. I wanted out, but there were so many unknowns: What else was I qualified to do? What did I want to do? Would I even be able to get an interview let alone an actual job?

I read a million articles on career changing and found the advice to be largely, well, vanilla. Nothing they suggested seemed like advice for real life! And while trading one line of work for another is inherently difficult, there are a few things I learned along the way that actually made my transition a little smoother.

You’re Not as Young as You Used to Be

Sad, isn’t it? But true. And if you’re a career-changer, the chances of you working for someone younger than you are rather high.

But don’t let your ego get in the way! What you lack in field experience, you’ll make up for in life experience and maturity. So keep your head down and be patient with your younger superiors. Because you have general work experience, you’ve been able to develop interpersonal and time management skills that will serve you well in any career.

So let go of the age issue and put in your time. Let yourself learn from the younger folks, and trust that you’ll catch up.

Money Isn’t Everything

OK, OK, I know money is important. However, if you’re entering a new field with little-to-no experience, you can’t demand a high salary.

That’s right: you’re probably going to have to take a pay cut. Spend some time researching entry-level salaries in the field you’d like to pursue and decide if it’s even a possibility for you financially. If you get an offer that’s lower than you’d like, don’t be afraid to ask for more, but tread lightly—you don’t want to scare off a potential offer!

It’s also worth asking whether or not there’s room for growth, stock options, and an insurance plan. All factor in to your overall budget. Consider, too, that you could always take on a second job, like freelancing, in the interim. You’ll be busy, but at least you won’t be broke – and you’ll be doing something you actually enjoy.

Move It

The reality is, there aren’t jobs everywhere. Depending on the field you want to pursue, you might have to consider a move, and you might have to fund it yourself.

This might seem like a lot to take on, especially if you’re taking a pay cut, too. But if you can swing it, being mobile makes your job prospects that much greater.

I had to fund my own move across several states, but was able to do it relatively inexpensively by enlisting the help of family, driving the moving truck myself, and getting my new landlord to lower my security deposit. Moving isn’t fun or easy, but in this case, it was worth it.

Invest in Yourself

Find classes, webinars, or networking events where you can work on your professional development. A lot of opportunities are offered free or at low cost either on the web or through local community centers.

I was able to learn some basic HTML skills and a lot about social media via free classes and webinars online. LinkedIn is also a great resource for professional development communities and networking. Use your resources and spend time (and maybe a little money) to add some skills to your resume.

Will Work for Experience!

Intern. Apprentice. Do something pro bono for the community. Maybe there’s no pay involved, but can you really put a price on resume builders?

The answer is no! Make the time to gain some experience and hone your skills by working for free. While many internships are offered to college students, a lot of smaller companies are happy to have extra help from anyone willing to give it.

Search for local businesses in your field of interest, call them up, and offer your services. You’ll gain valuable work experience and make connections along the way.

The added bonus to this is that you get to try out the job. If you find it’s not for you, you haven’t lost anything.

Are you trying to make a career change? What’s the most challenging part for you?

Melissa Woodson is the community manager for @WashULaw, one of the premier LLM programs offered through Washington University in St. Louis. In her spare time, she enjoys running, cooking, and making half-baked attempts at training her dog.

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The post Practical Advice for Transitioning to a Career You Actually Enjoy appeared first on Brazen Life.

There’s an old proverb that says, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” In other words—everyone has a dream, so what makes yours so special?

Many professionals get so hung up on the concepts of “dreams” and “destiny” that they think a successful career will materialize before them simply because “it’s meant to be.” But if that were so, then (to bring the phrase into the 21st century) beggars would be CEOs of multinational corporations, right?

Although it might seem like an overgeneralization, the answer lies mostly in the fact that many of us simply don’t put forth the effort necessary to make our dreams a reality. But you can! Here’s how to avoid some of the common pitfalls of those who have failed to build a successful career on a dream:

Phase One: Discovering the Dream

The first phase may seem fairly obvious: to follow your dream, you have to first be able to define what that dream is.

Are you following a career path simply because you’re good at it or is it something you genuinely enjoy? Although you might have heard the question a million times, you should be able to thoroughly answer—in the most idealistic manner possible—where you’d like to see yourself in 10 years. Whatever answer you come up with is what career path you should be following NOW, rather than waiting to start working toward your goals.

Never underestimate the value of practical skills or professional training. But turning a dream into reality also requires an additional ingredient: passion. If you have a dream you feel passionate about, you’re already well on your way toward making it a reality.

Don’t be afraid to dream big. Even if writing out your dream makes it seem out of reach, make your plans equally big to get where you need to be.

Phase Two: Breaking Free From Excuses

For many dreamers, the excuses stage is an eternal limbo that keeps their professional lives tethered in an unfulfilled state year after dreadful year.

The excuses stage is so named because it features all of the natural defenses that come with dreaming big. Fear is mostly at the root of these defenses, but they come about in the form of phrases like “I’m too busy,” “I don’t have enough money to accomplish my goals,” “my ideas aren’t that great,” and the list goes on.

Economics professor Larry Smith says personal relationships are the greatest bane to successful careers because they offer a socially acceptable rut for professionals to settle into when they want to give up on their dreams. Fortunately, it’s still possible to break through the excuses stage and move on to the final phase.

Phase Three: Going for It

Most dreamers never make it to this final phase because they get too caught up with making excuses or finding other reasons not to follow their passions.

After defining the dream and leaving behind burdensome excuses, professionals have nothing left but to go for it – by transforming their passions into action. The best part about this phase is there are no real rules for making your dreams a reality, because the best plans approach the process in an entirely unique way. So once you get past the “maybes” and “buts,” going for it becomes a fairly easy endeavor that can transform the lowest beggars into the most successful entrepreneurs.

No matter what opportunities and obstacles life has placed in your path, a fulfilling career is still within reach as long as you have the ability to dream. To adapt another common saying: “Man does not live by dreams alone.” Your dreams may act as the foundation to your success, but they won’t come to life on their own without a lot of hard work, sacrifice and the courage to kick excuses to the curb.

Dawn Altnam lives and works in the midwest, and she enjoys following the business and career worlds. After furthering her education, she has spent some time researching her interests and blogging of her discoveries often.

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by Rebecca Thorman

This post isn’t about if you like your job. So please don’t write in the comments that you love your job and your boss so you would never burn bridges. Obviously.

People burn bridges when they don’t like their jobs and their bosses. Or work with totally lame people or are completely bored. So you get fired, or laid off or there comes a time when your job just isn’t what it used to be, so you leave.

You shouldn’t just walk out. You should give notice and finish your projects and be polite (if for no other reason than your own sense of pride and accomplishment). But there’s no point in continuing a negative relationship once you’re out the door. The advice to not burn bridges is outdated.

Here’s why it’s okay to cut ties:

1. You’ll change careers too often for it to matter

Most likely, you’ll change jobs six to eight times before you’re 30, and 40 million people relocate each year, while 15 million make significant moves of more than 50 or 100 miles, reports Richard Florida.

The old rule was that workers would move to another job in the same industry in the same town. This encouraged politics and the necessity of kissing butt. But work is changing, and now you’ll change careers and locations so often it won’t matter.

2. Your old boss won’t help you

“Healthy relationships, whether personal or professional, are formed on the basis of give and take,” LaTosha Johnson argues. It’s rare that someone will help you if you can’t help them. And besides, you won’t benefit from forcing a relationship with someone who doesn’t share your values. When push comes to shove, these people will not help you. Why would you want to be associated with them, anyway?

3. You won’t need a reference

If you’re leaving your job, you’ll probably be looking for a new job that is more fun and more challenging. Most cool jobs don’t require traditional references. Instead, they require that you know someone to get you in the door and vouch for you. That’s usually never your current employer.

It’s quite easy to prove yourself and your work ethic in other situations like blogging, volunteering or side projects that show your worth and capability. Networking outside of your career and company is a great path towards success and is your best safety net.

4. You can have an enemy (or two)

But probably not more. Caitlin McCabe says that competition is motivation. Having competition and people who remind you of who you don’t want to be is actually healthy.

In a playful but entirely useful article, Chuck Klosterman argues for both a nemesis and an archenemy: “We measure ourselves against our nemeses, and we long to destroy our archenemies. Nemeses and archenemies are the catalysts for everything.”

5. You can start over

Whenever you start something new, ask yourself: “If the worst happened, would you be okay? Can you accept the worst-case scenario? Can you fail and survive?” Because you might just ruin your reputation, bankrupt your organization and turn an entire city against you. It happens to good people every day. Really.

Failure is an option. And it’s your best negotiating tool. That is, the ability to start over gives you unlimited opportunities.

None of these reasons excuse you from doing a superior job or give you an excuse to be a dick or a slacker. But there’s no reason to hold onto baggage that isn’t healthy. Remember, there’s a reason you’re leaving.

Blazing victory.

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by Dawn Van Emdem

I started a new job a few months ago. I mulled it over quite a bit because, while I was unhappy with the management, I was pretty comfortable at my old job. The pay was good, the work was light, I knew what was expected of me and they were already impressed with my work. I was comfortable.

And then I got this offer. It was something new—bigger responsibility, better pay and a new challenge. My old boss wasn’t so happy with me leaving, but he could not offer me the same pay (and he was a bastard), so I left. My last day was on a Friday, and I started at the new job on Monday. Yep, no rest for me.

The first month on the new job was all about getting to know the new people, getting to know my new responsibilities and stressing about the change in my already comfortable routine. Having a new boss and new coworkers meant I had to learn new work habits. I had to learn what this boss expected of me. My old boss was a bit of a dictator, and everything had to go through him. You had no freedom and no room to be creative. The new boss likes go-getters, people that get things done on their own. Call up clients, stay in contact and just keep him updated. So it was a switch for me.

As the new girl, I am still trying to find my place in all of this. I now have a better idea of what is expected of me and what my coworkers are like. I now know their work culture a bit better now. I know who I can turn to and for what. I know who I have to hound to get stuff done.

It’s fun, it’s a new challenge, I’m scared out of my mind and it’s my step forward. I love this because I no longer feel like I am standing still, like I was in my last job. I am learning new skills and challenging myself to be better. I was scared out of my mind to take this step, but I am happy I did. It keeps me moving forward.

So here’s to new challenges and growth.

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