Changing careers is never easy—but it is absolutely possible. Just because you're on a dedicated¹ career path doesn't mean you have to stay on it forever.

换工作从来不是件容易事——但绝对是可能做到的。只是因为你一直以来都坚持某条职业道路,不意味着你永远要做这个工作。

Sure, your family and friends may think you've lost your marbles when you announce plans for a midlife career change, but take heart: 59% of working adults say they're interested in taking the leap, according to a recent survey from the University of Phoenix² School of Business.

诚然，在你宣布中年改变职业的计划时，你的家人和朋友也许会认为你是失去理智了，但是不要失去信心：菲尼克斯大学商学院最近的调查显示，59%的在职成年人表示有兴趣挑战一下自己，换一份工作。

Whether you're bored at work, burned out on a job, or simply want a fresh challenge, there are a number of considerations that go into a successful career change.

无论现在的工作是让你感到无聊，还是筋疲力尽，或者仅仅是想要一个全新的挑战，这里有几个需要考虑的因素，帮助你成功改变职业。

1. Making a rash decision

错误一：草率做决定

Before changing occupations, you should do a deep dive to assess why you want to leave your current one. "You need to invest time to figure out why you're dissatisfied and what's going to make you more satisfied going forward," says Deborah Oronzio, a career-transition coach.

在换工作前，你应该深度分析一下为什么你想离开目前的工作。职业转换教练黛博拉•欧伦齐欧说：“你需要花些时间，想明白为什么你对现在的工作不满，接下来换什么样的工作才能让你更满意。”

Ask yourself why you're unhappy—and answer honestly. You may simply be having a bad week or a bad month—or you may just hate your boss, not your industry.

问你自己为什么不开心——然后诚实地做出回答。你也许只是这一星期或一个月过得很糟糕——或者你只是讨厌你的上司，而不是讨厌这一行。

"We all go through phases of unhappiness with our jobs," says Randy Block, an executive coach and staffing consultant³. "You should be running toward something, not running away from something."

执行教练、招聘顾问兰迪•布洛克说：“我们在工作中都会经历不开心的时期。你应该是朝着某个目标前进，而不是逃离某种东西。”

2. Choosing a new career based on salary

错误二：依据薪水来选新职业

You obviously need to be financially strategic when choosing your next career, but don't base your decision solely⁴ on earning potential.

在选择下一个职业时，显然你需要有经济方面的考量，但是不要只依据收入来做决定。

"If you take a high-paying job that doesn't match your interests, values, or strengths, you're not going to be happy," says Holly⁵ Genser. Would you be happy being paid more money to do a job you aren't into? Maybe at first, but the novelty will likely wear off sooner than later.

霍利•根瑟说：“如果你选择了一份和你的兴趣、价值观或优势不相符的高收入工作，你不会快乐的。”做一份你不喜欢但薪水更高的工作，你会开心吗？也许一开始会开心，但是这种新鲜感迟早会消退的。

It's not that you should disregard salary when evaluating your options, but you must consider other important factors—like work-life balance and room for growth—in addition to compensation.

这里不是说，你在衡量选择的时候不应该考虑薪水，而是你在收入之外还必须考虑其他重要因素——比如工作和生活的平衡，还有发展空间。

3. Not researching the job market in your next field

错误三：不对目标行业的就业市场进行调查

Not sure what field you want to go into? Research industries and positions to find a good match for your skills and career goals, Genser says. Otherwise, you're throwing darts⁶ in the dark.

不确定自己想入哪一行？根瑟说，你必须调查各个行业和职位来找到适合你技能和职业目标的工作。否则，你只能摸黑碰运气了。

4. Quitting without having another job lined up

错误四：裸辞

Research shows it's easier to get a job offer when you're still employed, which makes sense since gaps on a resume might make a hiring manager think twice about calling you in for an interview.

调查发现，在你仍在职的时候找工作更容易被聘用，这是因为简历上的空档期可能会让人力经理在决定是否给你面试机会时有所顾虑。

Consequently, it's in your best interest to stay at your current job until you have your next one set up.

所以，在找到下一份工作之前，最好是留在你目前的工作岗位上。

5. Neglecting your networking

错误五：忽略你的人际网络

Even if everything you research about the field you're interested in sounds promising⁸, until you actually talk with people who work within that field, you really don't know what you're in for. As such, you should be growing and refreshing⁹ your professional contacts constantly.

即使你在调查了你感兴趣的行业之后发现它很有前途，但是如果没有和那一行的人交谈过，你真的不知道你选择的是什么。正因为这样，你应该不断拓展和更新你的职场人脉。

One of the best ways to expand your circle is to go on informational interviews with people who currently work in the field you're pursuing. During these meetings, be sure to ask meaningful questions (e.g., "Where do you see the industry going?"). Pro⁷ tip: Target people who work at companies you'd like to work for. Not only will you learn the nuts and bolts, you'll also be more likely to hear about job openings and get internal referrals.

拓展职场人脉最好的一个方法就是请目前在你向往的行业里工作的人介绍情况。在这种会面中，一定要问有意义的问题（比如，“你觉得这个行业未来会如何发展？”）建议：把目标瞄准你想就职的公司的员工。你不但能了解到这一行的具体细节，你还更可能得到职位空缺的消息和内部推荐机会。

6. Going back to school prematurely¹⁰

错误六：过早回学校进修

Depending on your new career choice, you may need to get another degree. Some fields have clear education requirements (e.g., obtaining a master's degree and licensing¹¹ to be a nurse practitioner), but others don't require you to go back to school.

如果你的新职业有需要，你可能还需要再攻读一个学位。一些行业有明确的学历要求（比如，获得硕士学位或护士执业资格证），但其他的行业不需要你重返校园。

"A lot of people think, 'I should get my MBA,' or, 'I should go to grad school,' but they don't always need to," Block says.

布洛克说：“许多人认为，‘我应该拿个工商管理学硕士学位’或者‘我应该去读研究生’，但是他们并不总需要这么做。”

You have to research whether getting another degree will, in fact, improve your job prospects¹² or increase how much money you can make. (Networking is especially helpful in determining these answers.) If it won't, you'd just be wasting money—or taking on student loan debt—to get a degree you don't need.

你必须去调查，攻读另一个学位是否真的会改善你的就业前景，或增加你的收入。（在寻找这些问题的答案时，人际网络的帮助特别大）。如果这个学位对事业无益，你只会浪费钱——或者背上助学贷款——来得到一个你不需要的学位。

7. Not adjusting your resume for a career change

错误七：在寻求职业改变时没有相应调整简历

While it's great that you have 15 years of experience in public relations, if you want to switch careers to human resources, your old resume won't cut it.

尽管在公共关系这一行有15年的经验很不错，但是如果你要改行做人力资源，你的旧简历将不会帮到你。

Your resume needs to be tailored to the new industry you're pursing. Check out some of the job descriptions in your desired field and note what skills and credentials¹³ are valued. Which of your skills are transferable?

你的简历需要根据你想入的新行业来进行相应调整。查看你的目标行业中的一些职位描述，注意这个职位所看重的技能和文凭。你的哪些技能是可迁移的呢？

For career changers, a functional¹⁴ resume is more likely to promote your qualifications than a chronological¹⁵ resume. Put in the time and effort to update and polish your credentials, regardless of how many years you have in the workforce¹⁶.

对于要改变职业的人来说，一份功能型履历比一份时序型履历更能提升你的资质。不论你在职场干了多少年，都要花时间精力更新和润色你的简历。