Career change on the cards? Here are 3 hacks

With Hogmanay hurling towards us faster than a speeding bullet, many of us are catching an early dose of the January job blues and taking stock of our careers.

If you’re just starting out in the wonderful world of gainful employment, you might not think twice about ditching a dull job when something more exciting pops into your inbox.

But when you’ve spent years in the same career and it feels flatter than an antique bottle of Irn-Bru, family commitments mean that moving on makes you nervous.

Help’s at hand — if a career change is on the cards for 2019, take a gander at these three great hacks.

• Basic advice

When you’re desperate for a fresh vocational direction but don’t know where to start, you can find yourself in a kind of limbo that delays your departure indefinitely.

But popping in for advice at Skills Development Scotland Paisley Careers Centre is a surefooted first step to gathering the type of straightforward careers advice that can benefit jobseekers of any age.

With the latest information on career entry paths and bespoke training, their well-connected advisors will help demystify the job migration process.

You’ll leave your advice session with a spring in your step, armed with the insights you need to progress your career plan.

• Volunteering

If you already volunteer for a third sector organisation and feel like you enjoy this work more than your current paid position, staff members might be able to advise on the best way to transform into a permanent employee.

But if you’re new to volunteering, apart from contributing to worthwhile causes, it helps you boost your CV and test the water by working in a new sector.

Searching for appropriate volunteering opportunities with Engage Renfrewshire will help you find something that’s a good fit.

And even if volunteering doesn’t lead directly to a related job, the commitment to work for free in your downtime will impress any progressive employer looking for recruits.

• Online learning

Upskilling with a formal qualification can fast-track you to a new industry, but full-time campus learning isn’t always viable for adults with family financial commitments.

However, earning an online qualification with a provider like Anglia Ruskin Distance Learning means you can qualify for a career as everything from a football coach top a digital marketer — all from the comfort of your own home.

And your current job might not seem quite as miserable when you know you’re formulating an escape plan powered by academic pursuits.

In a couple of years, you’ll graduate and start the job you’ve been daydreaming about for so long — the time will pass in the blink of an eye.

This hattrick of career change hacks will prepare you for a time when you no longer get ‘the fear’ on Sunday nights and practically bound out of bed on Monday mornings.

Have you changed careers recently? Share your advice in the comments section.