Leaving Your Job Career Planning Self Evaluation Career Exploration Choosing a Career Education & Training Job Search Résumé Cover Letters Job Search Interviews Career Maintenance Keeping Your Job Leaving Your Job Seeking A Raise I Know I Have to Leave, Now What? You have made your decision; it's time for a career or job change. Changing jobs can be easy, but accomplishing a major career change is a more complex undertaking. Changing Careers First, begin researching your chosen field. Read about it, shadow someone who works in a career you are considering and network with people in the same career field. Figure out what the day-to-day work is really like. You may not want to jump out there and be an aerospace engineer like you thought. Once decided on a career goal, develop a strategy to get you there. Major career changes do not occur overnight. Want to open a bookstore? You might want to work at one first to learn if you like the business and what is required to be successful. By identifying a target, you can build a path to get you there. Changing Jobs Changing jobs isn't something you do on a whim - it also takes preparation, knowledge, and planning. Once you have determined what type of job you want, begin looking. Choose at least three different jobs that interest you, as the job you really want may not be available. Here are some basic rules to remember when changing jobs: Rule #1: Make your job search a full-time job! Rule #2: Make a "things to do" list. Keep a list of contacts. They'll help you be organized. Rule #3: Contact friends, relatives and former bosses. Let them know you are looking for another job. In some cases they may know of jobs available in your area of interest. Rule #4: Check more than one place for a job. Don't become discouraged if you don't get a job offer the first day or the first week of your search. Keep trying. When you have a good attitude and believe in yourself, you will likely find the job you want.