On average, a person will change their career path over 7 times in their lifetime. While some people are happy working at the same company, doing the same job day in and day out for 40 years of their lives, many people would prefer to switch it up and take on a new career path. Changing careers can be a stressful time in anyone's life. Although the prospect of a new job is always exciting, it is also scary. In many cases, changing career means a new pay structure, a new company, a new city, and a new job title. However, there are ways to get through this difficult yet exciting time in your life and ensure that the process of changing career paths is as smooth as possible.



1. Gain the education you need. For many careers, you will need advanced education in your industry or field. For example, if you want to change your career path from a sales rep to a teacher, you are going to have to go back to school and get a teacher's certificate. There is no getting around this. You can obtain the education you need while continuing to work with online education or part time night courses.

2. Don't leave your employers in the dark. It's important to talk to your employers about your change of career path and explain to them why and when you are planning on doing this. Many people go behind their bosses back and simply up and leave when another career opportunity leaps their way. This is not the best move because, in many cases, you will need a reference letter from your old boss and may also benefit from a friendly goodbye (perhaps with cake and a big bonus).

3. Bring your old skills to your new job: every type of work experience, good or bad, petty or not, is experience. Regardless of if you were serving French fries or managing a team of 30, you still can take advantage of those acquired customer service and people skills. Many learning experiences are the same in every single career path. These include public speaking, people skills, attention to detail and organizational skills. So take advantage of what you know and spruce up your resume with these skills and attributes.

4. Finally, be honest and positive with your potential employees: when changing a career path, most employees will ask you the same thing: "why". Why do you want to leave your current career and start again? The most important thing is to remain honest and positive. Do not say something like "my boss was a jerk" or "the job was boring." These are negative answers that reflect poorly on your. Instead, focus on your love for your new career path, your dream of always being in that field and your desire to start something new. These answers will reflect positively on you as they focus on well sought out attributes, regardless of what career path you have chosen.