A Realistic Look at Career Change

There are, of course, a couple of problems with looking to change jobs when you are already in one.

o You don't have a lot of time! Looking for a job means preparing a resume, scheduling interviews, and on and on.

o You don't want your current employer to find out! Most of us don't want our current managers to know that we are on the hunt for a new job, for fear of repercussions.

o No time for training. A really big career leap might mean that you need to undergo a whole new training regime for the new job. Many people just can't handle the commitment or the time.

o What about money? If you do have to go back to school in order to train for a new career, where is the money going to come from? Not only will you have to pay for the courses, but you still have to support yourself. The more you have to pay for (mortgage, children, and car), the more you have to worry about in terms of money.

Plan Ahead; Maybe WAY Ahead

In generations past, people were stuck in a career their entire lives for just the reasons that we mentioned above; there was just no getting around the difficulties involved with a career change, no matter how unhappy one was with their current situation.

The Information Age has absolutely changed the way we think about careers and career training, however. The biggest advantage for anyone interested in a career change is that you now have the opportunity to take courses online, from your own home.

What are the advantages to career training in this way? Here are a few.

o Set your own pace. You don't have to worry about committing to two, three, or more years of school all in a row. You can take a couple of courses a semester and plan on finishing up in five, six, or more years instead.

o You don't pay all at once. Not only do you avoid the stress of taking all of those courses at once, you also avoid the expenses. It is a lot easier to work the courses into your budget this way.

o It is not a huge time commitment all at once. If you do have a family this is the perfect training solution. You will still have plenty of time in your day to spend with them; one course should take about five hours a week, and that's it. Pretty manageable in most people's lives!

For people interested in a career change but who do not immediately have to worry about switching, forming a long term plan around online education can be a great step. By training a little bit at a time, you will be ready to make a smooth transition into the new career when you are ready.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.