As a new mom, your whole life can seem like the pressure notch just went up. While before you often thought about changing career you now feel like you must do it and must make the decision quickly or the life that depends on you will be in trouble. It is true that your child is depending on you but if anything this a reason to move slow and sure instead of fast and frantic. Now is the time to start thinking about your longterm career and not just a job that meets your needs. Follow our tips to get started.
Choosing your career
It is incredibly tough to choose what career to embark on. It is not easy when you are asked while at school and if anything it gets harder when you are out in the real world. Experts say to first look at what areas you have worked at in the past and what skills you have. These will give you the highest starting pay and should be looked at first in detail before moving on to completely new areas. This could still mean a change in career but relying on a similar skill set.
If you are sure that you need to change career you should keep three things in mind when making a decision. The most important aspects to consider are your interests, your values, and your skillset. Combining all of these things will result in a job that you love, will be good at, and will stick with for a long time.
If you are really struggling to think of a career to embark on it makes sense to seek professional help. Guidance counselors are not just for high school students and they will be able to help you think of a wide range of career options you were unaware of as well as offer a number of small tests that you can use to pinpoint your next direction.
Take your time
Whatever you decide don’t simply make a decision and close off the thought process. Start by making contact with someone in the position and asking them questions about the job. If you can talk to a mother it will help as some of your questions may be related to the work, mum life balance. If you find someone helpful you should ask if you could shadow them for a week or two. This will allow you to see what the job is really like on a day to day basis and not just what the headline looks like. Often a job sounds great but you only get to do the cool stuff once or twice a year while the rest of the time is spent in front of a computer.
Use your network
Don’t hide the fact that you are looking for a new job. Some people are so ashamed of trying to change career it is as if they have failed at something. Be proud of the fact that you are seeking a change and let your network know. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account you need to get one as recruiters use it widely and it is a great place to network. Work on your two-minute speech on what you are looking for. You may meet people who you vaguely know at parties or on the street and if you tell them you are changing career they may be interested. If you drag on too long or fail to explain your point you will lose their interest so work on a quick way to describe what you are looking for and you may be surprised by who ends up helping you on that crucial next step.
