Tweet

Career Change in an Economic Downturn

Written by: Cecile Peterkin

Article Overview: Changing your career goals can be the best decision that you've made - regardless of whether or not the country is in an economic downturn. Be ready for change.

Career Change in an Economic Downturn

When a lot of the news about the economy is anything but positive, many people focus on making sure that there is stability in their lives. In an economic downturn, after all, there is ample stress about keeping the job that a person has - particularly in industries in which there are a number of cutbacks; it hardly seems like a great time to make a career change.

One of the things that you will find, however, is that an economic downturn creates opportunities for those who are looking for a career change. Those who have been working in investments and banking, many auto workers and others, for example, will find that looking into a career change doesn't just give them a chance to come closer to reaching their goals; instead, making a more dramatic change actually helps to ensure that they have a number of great options available to them - options that might otherwise not be there.

Ultimately, making a career change in an economic downturn isn't for everyone; in addition to the stresses of a job search, there's the realization that not only are they competing with others for jobs, but they realize that they are competing with others who seem more qualified. Therefore, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

1.Maintain your confidence. Whether you are looking into changing your career because you've been downsized or because you are looking for a change, you need to believe that you're ready to make the transition.

2.Look into any training that you may need. No matter what change you are thinking about making, it's important to know that you have the skills that you need to help you move forward. If that means looking at taking a course or even volunteering in order to get experience in the field they want to break into.

3.In an economic downturn, there are a number of people who will be looking for any given position; if you don't hear back right away, it's not necessarily a sign that you shouldn't keep trying; it's instead an indication that it's not the right position.

The more that you are able to draw on your experience and the more that you are able to determine whether or not you are committed to making a career change, the better the position that you will be in overall. Remember that there is training available, and keep in mind that if you are in a great position to make a fresh start, everything will fall into place - provided you do the necessary footwork.

Changing your career goals can be the best decision that you've made - regardless of whether or not the country is in an economic downturn; if it's something that you are willing to work for, you'll find that no time is the wrong time to start moving in a direction that you feel great about. The resources that you need are readily available to you; it's up to you to take advantage of them.

Copyright 2009, Cecile Peterkin. All rights reserved.

Related Articles
  Recession-proof PR
  Students Worldwide Looking for Job Security
  Franchise Blog
  How to Hire the Right Person During an Economic Downturn
  Tough Times, Optimism, Personal Responsibility and Success

Article Tags: career change, change career, economic downturn



Related Forum Posts
Re: Require Info on CAD Fed/Prov Grants for Restaurant Start-up - I know the Ontario government is starting a "Second Career" campaign, full of internship opportunities for new chefs and catering staff. It may be worth your while to research the possibilities with that. It may work itself out to be cheap labor in the form of a grant. Good luck regardless!
Book: Comeback Moms - Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years Monica Samuels and J. C. Conklin 2006 Jacket: Millions of educated, professional women are quitting their jobs to stay home and raise their children. That would never be you, right? You worked hard for your degree and even harder to get to this point in your career. Quitting now, even for a few years, would kill your career, right? That's what Monica Samuels thought when she found out she was pregnant... Over 60 percent of professional women who leave work to raise children want to get back into the workforce someday. If you even think you might want to go back to work, be it in one year or twenty, you need to lay the groundwork now for a successful reentry or your options will be limited. 1. Quitting: When is the best time to cut the cord 2. Feathering the nest: How to financially prepare before you quit 3. Departure strategies: leaving the office 4. Money and Power: Constructing a new life on the home front 5. Backlash: handling family, friends and angry strangers 6. One foot in, one foot out: How can they miss you if you don't really go away? 7. Part time: It ain't perfect, but it's doable 8. Going back: the when and how of returning to work full time 9. Career counseling: When you need a change 10. Entrepreneurs: True Stories Resources Index
Re: Spellcheck? - [quote="TheAnonymousMan":2f894q6j]When discussing the majority of people I would definitely say that most people hit the "Change" or "Ignore" button without thinking too much about the correct spelling of a word. All bosses are concerned about is getting the report to the Directors meeting on time.[/quote:2f894q6j] That probably depends on what the "majority" are trying to accomplish. I have word set to alert me about misspellings and grammatical problems, so I fix most as I go. But I also add names etc to the dictionary because I get tired of seeing the red and green squiggles when I know the info is right. If you're only going to click "Change" or "Ignore" then why bother to take the time to use spell check????? Business people that I work for want the info compiled in a timely manner and they want it right - which is fine because that's the way I strive to do any project. Sending out a memo, letter, report etc with obvious spelling and grammatical mistakes makes the person and the company look bad as far as I'm concerned. Shri
Re: e-Commerce and e-Payment providers - Hi GT It is only fairly recently that people in South Africa have been able to get full use of Paypal as we were only able at one time to make payments but not receive them. Fortunately this has now changed. I have received money through Global X Change for one of the affiliate programs that I promote and have found them pretty good as the money is normally transferred directly into my bank account within 2-3 days and I have not had any problems with them. MichelleJ
Re: Obama Wants Social Security for Illegals - [quote="Alan Mater":3kaa8sg4] Obama WILL make changes... but they're not the changes we as a country need or should look forward to.[/quote:3kaa8sg4] Sad but this is exactly how I feel about it. Change is coming - but unless I'm really wrong, it is not a change this country needs. Amazing how much a good speaker with a good speech writer can do. If you paid attention to the things he said "off script" - much of it is frightening. Chris


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You An Accidental Consultant?

How To Brand Your Home Business Online

Why Use an Advertising Agency

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.