A large number of workers who use their education assistance benefits will pursue continued education to continue growing in their current career.

Sometimes, though, you don’t want to move up on the career ladder; you want a complete career change altogether. And while it’s certainly possible, it can feel scary to start over— especially if you aren’t sure what you actually want to do next or feel that you don’t have skills that would translate to a new role.

We’ve heard this before:

• An ICU nurse who’s burned out from the long shifts and the physically and emotionally demanding job, but who feels they don’t know how to “do anything but nursing.”
• A data entry worker is witnessing some of their peers being replaced by AI and wants to switch careers to one with better long-term job security.
• Someone who started in a B2B sales position right out of school and has been a high performer for years but is tired of the industry layoffs and wants out.

The options may feel endless and overwhelming all at once, so knowing where to start and how to weigh your options is essential. That’s what we’re going to be discussing today, with expert advice from one of the EdAssist™ academic coaches, Jana Van der Veer.

As a note: Our academic coaches are not certified career coaches, and their focus is on helping you make academic choices to advance a specific career, though they can sometimes offer suggestions you may not have considered.

1. Consider what interests you

Sometimes people feel like they have no idea what they want to do next, but upon further reflection, they may have more of an idea than they first thought.

Jana shared that she was coaching someone who said she wasn’t sure what to do next, and might pursue a business degree because it seemed like a good option. When speaking, however, she shared that she’d always had a passion for nutrition, and Jana helped her map out an educational path that could lead to the career she’d always had in the back of her mind.

Here are a few examples:

• If you love working with animals, you could become a veterinary tech, a shelter manager, a pet therapist, or even start your own dog training business.
• If you’re an organized planner, you might consider being a certified financial planner or a project manager.
• If you enjoy teaching people but don’t want to be a school teacher, you can consider roles in learning and development (L&D).

2. Assess your transferable skills and work experience

It’s easy to feel like you don’t have any transferable skills that would help you get any job aside from the one you already have.

That ICU nurse who feels like she has no skills outside of nursing, for example, would be wrong. ICU nurses have the following experiences and skills that transfer to other careers:

• Knowledge of the inner workings of a hospital (which is a benefit if they want to switch to a non-nursing healthcare role).
• Good at working under high-pressure situations.
• Strong communicators.
• Detail-oriented.
• Effective at managing complex workloads.

If they want to work in a fast-paced startup, they may be asked if they can handle the pressure. A few years of ICU nursing would certainly prove that they could.

3. Think about personality and lifestyle fit

It’s important to think about what you might naturally enjoy and excel at.

If you aren’t a “people person,” for example, you’ll likely want to avoid client-facing roles.

And if you’re a big-picture person—not a “get in the weeds” details person—you may want to avoid precision-focused roles such as copyediting, data analytics, or law.

In addition to personality fit, think about lifestyle fit:

• Do you want to work on a hybrid or remote basis, or do you prefer working on-site?
• Are you open to traveling for work? If so, how often?
• Do you prefer a standard 9-to-5 schedule, or would you be open to evening or weekend shift hours?
• Are you looking for a consistent workload throughout the year, or are you okay with a few annual busy periods?
• Are you comfortable with fluctuating income that may be impacted by seasonal ups and downs or commission-based pay? Or would you prefer steady, predictable income?

For example: If you want to work remotely, are detail-oriented, want a steady income, and prefer working standard hours but are okay with a few busy seasons, some options could include:

• Accountant.
• Business analyst.
• HR professional.
• Insurance underwriter.
• Software developer.
• Project manager.

4. Evaluate the long-term projection of different career paths

If you’re going through an entire career change, it makes sense to determine whether you’re comfortable with the long-term projection of the career paths that interest you.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future Jobs Report, the climate change industry is rapidly growing, for example, so renewable energy engineers and environmental engineers are expected to be in demand for years to come. Care economy jobs— including roles in healthcare, social work, and counseling— also are likely to continue to rise in demand.

You can check out industry data and talk to people in your desired industry to assess potential long-term trends.  

How AI may impact different career projections

Right now, no one knows exactly how AI will impact different industries and job availability. We know that AI can improve productivity when used strategically.

While some companies are seeking to replace workers with AI, there have also been companies like Klarna that have supposedly laid off workers in favor of AI only to hire workers back not long after. This will be a trend to watch in upcoming years.

5. Get expert input

If you’re still feeling stumped and want a few ideas to point you in the right direction, certified career coaches or skill assessment tests can be helpful.

Career coaches can discuss what roles may be a good fit for your interests, your skills, and your personality. They may be able to offer specific suggestions you’ve never thought of.

You can also take an online skills assessment test. There are both free and paid tests, but taking a few tests can help you get a well-rounded idea of your skills. Good options include:

• Career OneStop
• Clifton Strengths Assessment
• Holland Self-Directed Search
• O*NE
• MAPP
• Career Explorer

6. Talk to people working in your fields of interest

We all know someone who went right from high school to college and started working in their chosen field, only to realize they didn’t actually enjoy the job. If you’re trying to decide on a career path, talk to people who are actually working in those fields.

You can ask:

• What do they love about their job?
• What do they hate about their job?
• What does a standard day look like?
• How much do they have to travel?
• What is their company culture like?

You may think you love the idea of being a CPA, but don’t find the long working hours during tax season appealing. Or maybe you love baking in your free time, but you wouldn’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn for a bakery’s early hours.

You can also talk to different people to learn more about options within a single industry. Working at a startup during aggressive growth stages, for example, may have more of a “hustle” culture that comes with the expectation of pivoting quickly and potentially working longer hours. Meanwhile, a corporate job may offer more job stability and security, but it may take longer to move up the career ladder.

If there are people in your network, reach out. And if not, find people on LinkedIn with job titles that you aspire to get. Send a message with your connection request asking to discuss what they do. There’s a good chance that if you send a few messages, someone will say yes!

7. Browse job boards

Whether you’re starting to narrow down your options or you’re still at a loss of what direction you want to take, you can hit the job boards.

LinkedIn’s Jobs and Indeed are both good options.

If you have a few career paths in mind, search for them on these sites. Consider if:

• You feel comfortable with the remote, hybrid, or on-site requirements you’re seeing.
• You are happy with stated travel requirements, pay models, and estimated salary.
• You’re interested in the job responsibilities listed.
• You either have the required qualifications or are comfortable obtaining them.

If you are still considering different options, you can look at remote jobs in your country or at local jobs near you. You can see:

• Which industries are rapidly hiring.
• Which job titles or descriptions capture your interest.
• Which roles you may be most qualified for, or could quickly become qualified for.

8. Determine what’s accessible and realistic for you

Sometimes, you may have a fairly quick transition to a new career that doesn’t require starting from scratch. A nurse who no longer wants to work bedside, for example, could take a writing class or complete a quick certificate program to become a medical writer.

Some transitions will require more time and work. A nurse who wants to go back to school to become a computer programmer, for example, has a bit of a longer journey ahead of them.

And that’s okay! But when considering a complete career change, it’s important to determine what’s accessible and realistic for you.

Ask yourself these essential questions:

• Do I have the time, energy, and financial resources to complete the education needed to enter this field? Keep in mind that if a program says it can be completed in a single year, that’s for full-time students; if you’re working at the same time, it may take you two years instead.
• Am I comfortable with a temporary decrease in income? If you’re completely starting in a new field, you may have to start in an entry-level position even after completing a degree or certificate program. This may mean a salary reduction for a few years while you work your way up. Can you afford that?

Choosing a career that’s right for you

We know that choosing a new career path— especially when you’re looking for a complete change— is both scary and exciting. And it can be overwhelming when you know you want a change, but you don’t really know what that looks like.

Take the time to do your research. You want to make sure that you’re moving into a career that you love so all the time, energy, and financial resources are worth it. Talk to people in the industry, determine what’s a good natural fit, and see if any of your skills transfer.

Once you have a good idea of what you’d like to do, you can dive right in. And if your company offers EdAssist’s academic coaching benefit, you can have a free one-on-one call with a coach to select an academic path and specific degree programs that can help get you where you want to go.