It is important to remember that you do not necessarily need to be tied to a career relating to your degree forever. Nowadays there is great flexibility and opportunities for people to change their careers.
There are many ways in which you can change direction, even straight after your degree or apprenticeship.
Springboard Course
Changing career, or industry, can be achieved through different means but it can depend on various factors such as age, income, location, qualifications, prior work experience, ability to travel and/or commute, and most importantly, what job or industry or career you are trying to get into.
If you have just graduated and have already decided that you would like to do something different from what you studied, you could enrol in a springboard course, and many of these courses are formally called ‘conversion courses’. One of the advantages of these courses is that many will provide you with a work placement.
Some of these Springboard courses offer paid placements, while others offer unpaid. Regardless, placements are a fantastic way to gain work experience in a particular industry with no prior experience. Another way to gain experience or training after graduation is to try and secure a graduate programme.
Many graduate programmes offer intensive training in the sector, with many graduate programmes having general non-specific entry requirements meaning they are open to applications from students from many backgrounds. Some masters also accept graduates from a variety of disciplines, so this could be another way to convert your career.
Local Enterprise Office offered supports
During COVID, many entrepreneurs packed up and left the bigger cities to start a new life in smaller cities or towns and set up their own businesses.
Supporting these entrepreneurs was the Local Enterprise Office (LEO ), which offers many supports such as training, networking events and financial support to budding ‘entrepreneurs’ and those who want to turn their passion project into a business. LEO has supported many of those who were working in jobs to make the transition to focus on their own business and build that business up full time, for example, Gra chocolates.
Often when people are unhappy, unfulfilled or unsatisfied in their jobs, they desire change but they don't know how. In these situations, the very first thing that I would recommend is to reflect on your skills and strengths and try to evaluate your qualifications and skills to identify areas of potential further development. In some cases, a good career coach can empower and motivate you and can even identify the potential ways forward.
Volunteering is also a great way to develop skills that you may not necessarily have, and it can also be great for networking and socialising.
Research
Whether you want to change your career or job or simply get a promotion, the best way to do so is to do your research. Looking at where you want to go and what could help to get you there is the first step. In some cases, you can increase your chances of success by getting the help and insight of a good mentor. For women in business, the Galway branch of Network Ireland offers the opportunity to engage with a mentor, as do many organisations.
Either way, as with most career-related opportunities you have to do the research and go out and look for opportunities yourself.
In situations where you have access to detailed information which is hard for you to identify, a guidance counsellor may be the way forward.
Change is becoming more common
There are so many different ways to change career and transition into another area whether it is after graduation or midlife, but the important thing is to plan and research.
Just remember the average person makes about five career changes within their lifetime and it is becoming more and more common, so it is never too late to change careers.
