Last updated: 13 October 2026
Three years ago, I received a beautiful gift from a client with the following message:
‘Thank you for helping me let go of the disappointments that have been weighing me down and for helping me feel excited about my future.’
She’d been feeling lost and alone. Self-doubt had been eating away at her. For years she’d felt that she hadn’t made a success of her career.
Every day she’d been going through the motions at work, constantly dreaming about doing something different.
There was no sudden crisis of confidence, but a persistent feeling of frustration and disappointment.
She craved a lightbulb moment, a revelation that would tell her what direction to go in, a clear answer just coming to her in the middle of the night that would solve everything!
It’s easy to get stuck in your head when work no longer inspires you. Fear of failure can leave you feeling powerless and confused.
You may recognise some of these questions:
- How can I afford to change career?
- What will my family think?
- How can I pursue a career in a new field without any qualifications?
- Why can’t I work this out?
- Am I just chasing a pipe dream?
Some need practical answers about money, qualifications or the options available. Others may be harder to answer until you’ve had a chance to explore.
A career change takes time. You can begin by finding out more about work that interests you, checking what it would involve and considering how it could fit with your circumstances.
Here are six practical steps to help you get started on a career change:
1. Reflect on what’s missing
What would you like more of in your working life, and what would you like less of? Consider the work itself, opportunities to learn, the people you work with and practical things such as hours and pay.
Write a short list for each. Look for two or three recurring themes, then use these to help you assess the career ideas you explore.
2. Explore your doubts and fears
Write down one worry about changing career. What is it based on: something you know, a past experience or an assumption about what might happen?
For example, if you’re thinking “I’d have to start again”, consider what you would bring with you: skills, experience, knowledge and relationships. What would be new, and what could you build on?
Being more specific can help you decide what advice or support would be useful and who would be good to talk to.
3. Try a small experiment
Choose something that interests you and find a manageable way to try it. You could attend a short workshop, try a task involved in that kind of work or arrange to observe someone doing it.
Beforehand, note what you want to find out. Afterwards, ask yourself: What did I enjoy? What was different from what I expected? Would I like to explore this further?
Choose something that fits the time and money you have available. The aim is to learn more before committing to a bigger change.
One of my clients wanted to move out of marketing. She volunteered for a weekend with a travel social enterprise and helped run an event for her brother’s new business, encouraging people to spend time away from technology and their phones.
Through these experiences, she realised she could use her marketing skills in work that interested her more and felt more purposeful. She began exploring a partnerships manager role with a travel start-up offering surprise holidays.
The role offered a way to combine her interest in travel with her existing marketing skills.
4. Talk to people about their work
Speak to someone doing work you’re curious about. You could ask a friend for an introduction, contact a former colleague or send a short message explaining what you’d like to learn.
Ask about what their working day involves, what they enjoy, what they find difficult and how they got started. You might also ask which skills from your background could be useful.
Afterwards, note what appealed to you, what surprised you and what you’d like to find out more about.
My networking tool can help you identify people to talk to and plan how to approach them.
5. Take small, consistent steps
What could you realistically do this week? It might be contacting someone, arranging a visit or spending half an hour exploring an idea.
Each conversation or experiment can give you something to build on. Consider what you’ve learnt and what you’d like to explore next, at a pace that fits with work and your other responsibilities.
6. Build a support network
Who could support you as you explore a career change? Different people can help in different ways: a friend who listens, a former colleague who recognises your strengths or someone who has made a similar move.
Think about what would be useful, whether that’s encouragement, practical advice or someone to talk things through with. You could start by asking one person for the help you need.
My client never got her lightbulb moment. What she got was a clearer picture of what she was good at and what she wanted, and a handful of small experiments that showed her it was possible. The excitement in that note came from doing, not waiting.
Try out my Career SWOT analysis to take stock of your strengths, the gaps, the opportunities and the risks so you know your starting point.
