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Jessica Hupp

Sometimes you come to a point in your career when you realize you’re just not on the right path. It happens to lots of people, and there are plenty of resources out there to help you make a change. These tools offer assistance for finding the best career for you, and how you can get there.

Assessment

First things first, find out whether or not a career change is right for you, and what’s best for you if you decide to start out in a new field.

1. Quiz: Should You Make a Career Change?: Determine if the time is right for a career change with this quiz.
2. A Guide to Going Online for Self-Assessment Tools: Get advice about using online assessment tools from this article.
3. What Color is Your Parachute: Learn what career paths are best for you with this book.
4. The Princeton Review Career Quiz: This 24-question quiz from The Princeton Review should offer some good suggestions.
5. What’s Important to You?: Find out what beliefs and values are important to you, and consider how they affect your career choices.
6. The Career Interests Game: Play this game to get a broad view of your ideal career.
7. The Career Key: With this test, you’ll get a good look at yourself and your career options.
8. O*NET Ability Profiler: Consider your abilities in nine categories to determine careers that are best for what you can do.
9. Transferable Skills Survey: Use this survey to determine what skills you’ll bring to your new career.
10. Finding The Perfect Job: Learn about the latest research devoted to matching your interests with a fulfilling career.
11. The Career Values Test: Check out this test to determine the things that are most important to you in a career.
12. O*NET Interest Profiler: Determine your level of interest in six different categories with this profiler.

Career Exploration

If you’ve found a new career you think you’d like, delve into it further with these resources.

13. Career Briefs: Here you’ll find a listing of occupations, and you can use it to find out what appeals to you.
14. Occupational Outlook Handbook: This resource offers in-depth look at nearly every occupation.
15. Informational Interviewing Tutorial: Follow this tutorial to learn how to conduct an effective informational interview and discover more about potential new career paths.
16. Cool Jobs and Cool Life Options: Take a look at this collection of cool jobs to get some great ideas.
17. How Can I Find a New Career Path?: This Career Doctor offers advice for discovering a new career.
18. VocationVacations: With VocationVacations, you can spend time finding out if you actually like your dream job.
19. JobProfiles: Get advice from real people about their jobs with this site.
20. Finding Your Niche: Read this article to learn how to fit into unconventional career niches.
21. Career Research Checklist: Use this checklist to conduct effective research on potential new careers.
22. Passion Pursit: Baby Steps or Big Plunge?: Read this article to learn how to explore and identify your passions, and take action to find a more passionate career.

Advice

Take a hint from the experts, and read the advice dished out here.

23. Changing Careers in Midstream: This article offers advice on changing careers and has a few ideas for developing skills for your new career while you’re still in your old one.
24. Making a Smoother Career Transition: In this article, you’ll find advice for a smooth career transition.
25. Career Change Tools for the Mid-Life Woman: Although directed at middle aged women, this career change checklist is great for anyone who wants to shake things up.
26. Choosing a New Career Path: This article follows the story of a Jane Doe as she transitions from one career to another.
27. Seven Famous Career Switchers: Get inspired by these celebrities turned their skills into new careers.
28. Thinking of a Career Change? Five Tips: These tips offer advice on how much you should change, how to find the right career, and landing a great new job.
29. Is Changing Fields Right For You?: Read this article to discover 10 action steps you should take before embarking on a career change.
30. Career Transition/Change Strategies: This article considers changes both in job title and industry fields.
31. 10 Career Change Mistakes to Avoid: Avoid these common mistakes to prevent changing careers without planning, or doing so for the wrong reasons.
32. Real People, Successful Career Changes: Take a look at these profiles of career changers for inspirations.
33. Ten Steps to a Successful Career Change: Follow this advice for a step-by-step guide to switching things up.
34. Do You Have What It Takes to Change Careers?: Consider the reasons why even top performers want to make a change sometimes.

Getting (Re)Hired

Use these tools to get a great job in your new career.

35. Transferable Job Skills–a Vital Job Search Technique: Read this article to learn how to highlight the skills you’ve learned from your old career in a way that is attractive to new employers.
36. Experience Works: This program offers paid internships to job seekers 55 and older, as well as training and other services.
37. Temping Your Way to a Career Change: Check out this article to learn about strategies for breaking into a new field through temporary work.
38. The Top 5 Things to Consider When Looking for a New Job: Keep these considerations in mind when searching for your new job.
39. Career Change Letter: This sample letter from Monster will help you explain why you want to change careers and what you can offer your new employer.
40. Emphasising Your Transferable and Marketable Skills in Your Cover Letter: Learn how to put skills from your old career to work in your job search with this article.
41. Career Change Resume: With this article, you’ll learn how to write your resume so that you emphasise your new career goals.
42. Volunteering Can Open Doors to a New Career: Read this article for advice on using volunteering as a way to gain experience and valuable contacts for your new career.
43. Early Career Change Cover Letter: With this sample cover letter, you can explain your reasons for changing careers early on in the game.
44. Self-Employed But Need a Job? Here’s How to Interview: If you’re transitioning from a self-employed career to working for someone else, use this article to learn how to highlight your unique skills in an interview.
45. Work Your Transferable Skills: This article details some of the common skills that are transferable to healthcare positions.

Transitioning

These tools will make the change from one career to the next just a little bit easier.

46. Take Financial Stock Before a Job Change: Read this article to consider financial steps you should take before you change careers.
47. Career Transition Touchstones: Take a look at some of the stages of transitioning from one career to the next with this guide.
48. Prepare for a Job Search: This article runs down a number of things to take care of if you’re about to change jobs.
49. Stream in to Your New Career: Monster offers some advice on what to do once you’ve started your new career.
50. Become Your Own Boss or Work From Home: This article offers valuable advice on health insurance, marketing, and doing work online.
51. Quitting With Class: This article runs down what you should do when leaving your old career, from your strategy to last day.
52. Adding Up a Career Change: Consider the costs and savings of a career move with this article.