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Setting a New Course

How to Jump Start your Next Career

By Jessica Parsons

If you've been finding yourself facing job challenges and tough career decisions, as of late, you're not alone. Some experts believe the average person changes jobs and employers up to 10 times in their lifetime.

But, which careers do you go after? Which ones are in the highest demand? And, which ones are providing the best pay? We sought out the answers to these and other questions to help you discover the career path that's right for you.

Katy Piotrowski, a leading author and career coach who works with DeVry University, recommends staying current and ahead of the curve, by getting out of the "career couch-potato syndrome" and plugging into the "constant-careering concept," so the world doesn't pass you by.

"Sometimes stability can be confused with stagnancy, says Piotrowski. "Stagnant does not work in today's market, that's where the 'constant-careering concept' comes in?to be looking at what's next?what small steps I can take to keep myself marketable."

Re-Careering Steps:

1. Most Sought-After Jobs: Choose a career in a strong hiring arena, suggests Piotrowski. "I'm seeing a lot of hiring around health-sciences which makes perfect sense as the population is aging," says Piotrowski. She says technology, financial management and accounting, has also been on the rise.

2. Breaking into a New Field: Making a switch can be risky. So, Piotrowski suggests as soon as you enroll into a degree program, you add it to your resume as "something you are currently working on." She also recommends using the connections your instructors or classmates may have to secure interviews and gain experience.

3. Most Important Questions: Define a goal by first asking yourself what you are interested in and passionate about. Piotrowski says these questions are the key to your success. "We want to be involved in something that makes best use of our talents and strengths because then we feel like we're plugged in, in the right way.

4. Switch Your Mindset from Stability to Evolution: If you are thinking, "it's just a job, it's a paycheck, I'm doing okay, but I don't really love it," then you are missing the boat, according to Piotrowski. If you discover there's a new technology within your specialty that's in higher demand, that's your opportunity to get involved. "It doesn't need to be a huge project, but small steps make a huge difference."

InfoLinks:
DeVry
CareerSolutionsGroup