You may find one day that you need to change careers. Sometimes we discover we will not be able to earn as much as we would like in our current career, sometimes there are increasingly fewer jobs and less job security in our field, or sometimes we just get tired of doing the same thing. These days, changing careers mid-life is not uncommon.

Often before embarking on a new career, you will need or can benefit from getting additional education. Today, colleges and universities often have a number of mature students who have had some work experience. As such, many colleges and universities offer course times or online courses that are convenient for students to take while working full time jobs. Colleges also have free career counseling and can help you assess which skills you already have, and which you will need for a new career. A few colleges even offer ways of earning credits through examination or by portfolio, to assess experience and knowledge you have gained already by working.

Resumes and Curriculum Vitae can be rewritten to emphasize the abilities you possess that will be useful in your new career. A typical, Chronological Resume lists employment, but a Functional Resume would list your experiences and skills in detail, and can be targeted to emphasize desirable skills in your new career, and de-emphasize skills no longer needed. This can alleviate qualms a potential employer may have that you would do well in a new career.

The majority of jobs today are still gotten by referral, and this can be particularly useful to you when changing careers. Communicate your intentions to people you know. If you know anyone who works in the field you wish to enter, talk to them particularly about your plans and encourage them to give you leads.