Studies show that 1 in 5 Americans is desperate to change their job.

One shouldn’t feel dissatisfied at an occupation where they spend a large portion of their life. People work to live, not live to work.

Fortunately, if you’re like 20% of the population, there are strategies you can use to make changing careers less stressful. Taking control of your life should be a time of excitement.

Whether you’re chasing your passion, a higher paycheck, or greater life satisfaction, this article is for you.

Read on to learn how to change jobs getting overwhelmed

Evaluate Yourself

The first step in any career change is evaluating yourself. It’s only by coming to understand yourself that you can choose a job that will make you happy.

Even if you’re only searching for a better paycheck, you’ll be happier in the long run with a job that fits our personality and skillset.

Start by making a list of how you feel at your current job throughout the day. What about the work, environment, or people is bothersome to you? Searching for the route of your problems will help you look for a job that doesn’t have the same stressors. Perhaps you’ll even find that the fix you’re looking for is easier than changing jobs altogether.

The next step is to discover what you love. Think about your passions and interests, as well as your skills and experiences. Consider any jobs or roles you’ve had throughout school or life and if any of these made you feel fulfilled.

Pick New Career Routes

Now that you know what you do and don’t want out of a new job, you can search for careers that fit those qualifications.

Try looking up lists of career options with field descriptions and see if any spark your interest. If you want a professional’s opinion, you might consider talking with a college career counselor or hiring a career coach.

A fun way to discover careers that suit you as an individual is to take career aptitude and personality tests. There are a wide variety of career tests online that can help find the perfect job for you.

Narrow It Down

At this point you probably have a few options in mind, but how do you narrow it down to the perfect one?

It’s highly recommended before jumping into a career to look into industry statistics and entry requirements. This means researching the amount of schooling or types of certifications the job requires. You’ll have to decide if you’re willing to go back to school.

Looking at industry statistics means also researching the average pay of each career choice and how difficult career entry is. Some industries are easier to find jobs in than others. Other career choices might require moving to a new location.

Decide what you’re deal breakers are and cross these choices off your list.

Try It Out

The last step in picking a career to move into is to try it first hand. A great way to see what a job is like up close is to shadow industry professionals or take an intro course.

You can find professionals in the field that are willing to help you through your personal networks, LinkedIn, and college alumni. Shadowing someone at work is a great way to learn whether reality meets your expectations of the job.

Taking a singular intro course is also a great way to get started on learning about a field you’re interested in before committing to the financial investment of an entire degree. You can find fairly cheap courses online or through small community colleges.

Get Ready For a Financial Change

With a career change comes financial change. Even if your future job pays more than the current one, you might experience financial setbacks getting there.

Such an example would be the cost of extra schooling or obtaining certification. You might also find that while preparing for the new job that you half to cut back on hours at the current job.

Making a financial plan in advance will prevent a lot of the stress that comes with changing careers.

Begin by creating a sample pay stub that takes into account changes in your hours, pay, and taxes. This is easy to do using a pay stub creator. Next, create a budget that takes into account all of your living expenses and earnings.

Create a Timeline

One of the best pieces of advice on how to change jobs successfully is to create a timeline.

Your timeline should include goals and time estimates for obtaining schooling, internships, applying to jobs, and your transitioning periods from one job to the next.

The importance of a timeline is that it prevents you from stagnating and rushing ahead. There’s always an excuse to wait for a better time, but that time will never come. Rushing ahead to quickly is just as dangerous because you risk putting more on your plate than you can handle.

It’s important to note, however, that a timeline is only a guideline. You’re not a failure if you need to take more time to prepare.

Prepare For Emotional Distress

The best way to prevent stress while changing jobs is to prepare for it. It’s a stressful time, and it’s okay to feel that way. Cultivating awareness of how you feel and accepting it will prevent greater feelings of regret and depression.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to remember that you have bravely taken control of your life.

It’s also a good idea to learn relaxation techniques prior to changing careers.

Knowing How to Change Jobs is the First Step

Knowing how to change jobs is the first step to actually doing it. If you follow the steps in this article, changing careers will be significantly less stressful.

Remember to evaluate yourself, do the research, try it out in advance, create a financial plan and timeline, and prepare yourself mentally.

If you plan on going back to school, visit our college blog for everything you need to know.