While it is common for change to be a cause of stress, if done correctly, it can be a cause of job. But, as we are discussing changing careers, we must be realistic. You must be realistic.
Ask yourself if you really want to change careers or just jobs. If you like the people with whom you work, and the company, why risk changing employers? Go to your supervisor and explain your concerns. In this case, instead of thinking in terms of changing careers, think in terms of changing responsibilities. Write a plan and present it. I have done it for myself when I worked at non-profits and for my career counseling clients. It works. The employer is happy not to lose you and you don’t have to rebuild your career from scratch, which is my next point.
If you are making a total change, to a completely new industry and function, you have to accept the fact that your past experience will count for little. That means looking carefully at the job descriptions for the jobs you want and seeing what the qualifications or requirements are. If they are educational, get educated! (You probably won’t need a college degree; a trade/technical school certification may suffice. In either case, make sure the school has a career counseling department that is effective in finding jobs for graduates.) If you don’t know one end of a server from another, and think I am referring to a waiter or waitress, you are not going to get a job in cybersecurity.
That said, you may have better luck if you remain in the same industry and same general function. For example, if you are a fundraiser and you want to be in communications, that is not that far a stretch. You have transferable skills and, hopefully, and more importantly, transferable accomplishments.
Your resume and LinkedIn profile, must be geared towards the new career you want. Don’t lie. Instead of focusing on your hard skills, the job specific things you know how to do, focus on your mastery of soft skills, the interpersonal skills that are relevant for any job.
Most importantly, network. You want to meet people who are where you want to be. The good news is, they should be willing to help you because you are no threat to them. They have experience; you don’t. You are not going to take their job away from them.
To make this really simple: It is not enough that you want the job, you have to convince the employer that they want you. Having someone in your network speak up for you and say, “True, she lacks the experience but she’s definitely worth an interview,” is crucial. There are plenty of qualified candidates for every position. You are not one of them. That is a “bump” you have to get over and you won’t be able to do it alone. Someone who the employer respects has to promote your candidacy,
Most importantly, changing careers is a marathon, not a sprint. It will take time, especially if you need to learn new hard skills. And you can pretty much forget about keeping your current compensation package. Be prepared to start at, or pretty close to, the bottom and work your way up again, as you did in your current career. If you can’t take the pay cut, then changing careers is not a practical option for you. So, I repeat my previous suggestion, stay with your current employer and get some new responsibilities. It’s relatively simple and may solve your problem.
Employment Edification 