Whether or not you have a formal education in a field that interests you, the most important factor in any endeavor is enthusiasm and perseverance. If you find you’re not happy in your current vocation there are ways to change it, even if it doesn’t happen overnight. The first thing is to decide you actually want to change careers. If the answer is decidedly yes, but you’re not sure to what, make a list of your interests and skills you can build on, or the potential and aptitude to learn and give some thought to how it would be as a real job.
If, for example, you like to help people, but have never actually done it as a paying job, offer to do volunteer work in your local community. There are myriads of non-profit efforts that always need a helping hand. If you like to cook and may consider that as your new career, volunteer to cook at a soup kitchen. They always need as much help as possible. Once you get some experience under your belt and receive positive feedback, ask for some references and quotes from those who enjoyed your food. It doesn’t matter whether you got paid or not; it matters that you have the skills to succeed and the ability to demonstrate that to a potential employer.
From there, you can start a resume and look for places that will pay you for your talent. Granted, you’re not going to be a Michelin star chef to start, but every successful person began somewhere. This holds true for just about every field. Not all fields require a formal education, but if you do have some education in the field you are thinking of, that can also help. There are ways to build upon your basic skills to elevate them to a professional level. Going back to using cooking as just one example, if you have a passion for it but need improvement, look for online tutorials where you can cook along with your favorite celebrity chef or relevant professional. DVR your favorite cooking shows on Food Network and start taking notes. Try the recipes out on your friends and family. You get the idea! Once you’re confident, you could go so far as to prepare some dishes and bring samples to local eateries to give them a real idea of how great you could be for their establishment.
This is just one field among many and if you want to succeed, positive thinking is always an important element. If you’re not sure how to implement that, look up some books which will help you think positive and develop the confidence to take that step forward. Napoleon Hill, The Power of Positive Thinking is one book among many written by a man who was certain your attitude can change your destiny. Basically, whatever you set your mind to; you can achieve. Just be sure what exactly you want to change and keep moving forward. Before you know it, you will have made that leap and you’ll be looking at that old boring job in your rear-view mirror!
Ann is a professional writer who brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.